Ifv 


'THEY  WERE  FACING  AND  POINTING  IN  OPPOSITE 
DIRECTrONS."— Page  240. 


ORN  AGAIN 


A  NOVEL 


BY 

ALFRED  WILLIAM   LAWSON 


WOX.  CONRAD  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 

113   East   Fifty-ninth   Street 
New  York 


COPYRIGHT.  1904 

b 
ALFRED  WILLIAM  LAWSON 


BORN    AGAIN 

Translated  and  Published 
in  the 

UNITED  STATES 

GREAT  BRITAIN 

GERMANY 

FRANCE 

SWITZERLAND 

ITALY 

JAPAN 


2136351 


DEDICATION. 


||NE  day,  not  many  years  ago,  while 
^-^  walking  along  a  street  in  Detroit, 
Michigan,  I  was  stopped  by  a  ragged  and 
forlorn  beggar  with  the  request  for  a  few 
cents  to  buy  something  to  eat. 

I  gave  him  a  dime  and  walking  on  a 
few  paces  stopped  to  observe  his  follow- 
ing movements.  Contrary  to  my  sup- 
position that  perhaps  he  would  enter  a 
saloon  and  buy  whiskey  he  went  as  fast 
as  his  weary  legs  would  carry  him  in  a 
straight  course  toward  a  restaurant  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  street. 

As  he  was   about    to   enter  the  place 


Dedication 


his  attention  was  attracted  by  a  more 
pitiable  wretch  than  himself  standing  out- 
side who  had  but  one  leg,  was  partly 
blind,  and  whose  nose  was  almost  eaten 
off  by  disease. 

He  paused  for  a  moment  and  looked 
sympathetically  at  the  crippled  beggar  and 
then  started  again  toward  the  door  of 
the  restaurant,  but  before  entering  he 
stopped  once  more  to  take  another  look 
and  after  a  few  moments'  hesitation  he 
deliberately  turned  about,  handed  the 
other  fellow  the  dime  and  walked  away 
without  feeding  himself. 

Of  all  the  heroic  deeds  I  have  ever 
witnessed,  I  recollect  none  quite  so  grand 
and  noble  as  this  act,  for  notwithstanding 


Dedication 


this  poor  beggar  may  nave  been  beir  to 
every  otber  weakness  a  buman  being 
could  possibly  contract,  still  be  contained 
tbat  spark  of  unselfisb  love  for  bis  fellow 
beings,  witbout  wbicb  no  man  is  more 
tban  a  mere  brute,  and  for  tbat  reason  I 
respectfully  dedicate  tbis  work  to  bis 
memory. 

ALFRED  WILLIAM  LAWSON. 


CHAPTER  I 

Judging  from  my  own  experience  it  is  my 
opinion  that  many  strange  and  wonderful  events 
have  happened  during  the  past  in  which  man 
took  part,  that  have  never  been  recorded. 

Many  reasons  could  be  given  for  this,  but  the 
main  causes  perhaps,  are  that  the  participants 
have  lacked  the  intelligence,  education  or  literary 
ability  to  properly  describe  them. 

In  these  respects  I  must  admit  my  own  infer- 
iority. But  I  feel  that  should  I  not  promulgate 
an  account  of  my  own  remarkable  life  for  the 
benefit  of  mankind  then  I  would  betray  the  trust 
nature  has  confided  in  me. 

So  I  warn  the  exquisite  literary  critic  and  the 
over-polished  individual  who  prefer  fancy  phrases 
to  logical  ideas,  that  this  work  may  somewhat  jar 
their  delicate  senses  of  perception. 

And  having  offered  these  few  preliminary 
remarks  I  shall  now  introduce  myself  to  the 
reader.  My  name  is  John  Convert.  The  earth  is 
my  home  and  country.  All  men  are  my  kin,  be 
they  white,  black,  red,  yellow  or  brown.  I  was 
born  somewhere  on  the  Atlantic  Ocean  between 


10  Born  Again 

Liverpool  and  New  York  while  my  parents  were 
emigrating  from  England  to  America.  My  mother 
died  giving  me  birth. 

Whether  or  not  it  was  because  I  first  saw  the 
light  of  day  while  in  a  state  of  transit  that  caused 
me  afterwards  to  acquire  a  thirst  for  travel  and 
adventure  I  cannot  say,  but  true  it  is  that  during 
my  whole  life  I  have  been  constantly  moving 
from  place  to  place.  Then  again  my  father  was 
a  Methodist  preacher  and  the  good  Lord  ostensibly 
sent  calls  to  him  from  every  nook  and  corner  of 
the  United  States,  for  as  long  as  I  can  remember 
he  too  was  continually  changing  abiding  places. 
In  fact,  it  seems  to  me  now  when  I  look  back  that 
he  seldom  preached  twice  from  the  same  pulpit. 
Whether  this  was  due  to  bad  preaching  or  because 
he  had  the  courage  to  tell  the  good  church  folk 
many  plain  truths  concerning  themselves,  I  know 
not,  but  I  do  know  that  in  many  ways  my  father 
was  a  very  good  man,  and  also  a  very  learned 
man — perhaps  a  little  too  learned  to  be  wise,  for, 
like  most  great  scholars  he  may  have  forced  so 
much  book  knowledge  into  his  brain  that  he  left 
no  room  for  progressive  thoughts  of  his  own.  He 
was,  however,  quite  unlike  many  clergymen  of  the 
present  time  who  apparently  think  and  certainly 
act  as  if  their  main  work  was  to  flatter  and  amuse 
the  women. 


Born  Again  11 

My  father  was  straightforward,  honest,  kind  and 
truthful.  He  was  dogmatic  in  his  religious  beliefs, 
combative  by  nature  and  never  happier  than  when 
fighting  the  Devil  in  his  own  corner,  as  he  ex- 
pressed it.  Furthermore,  he  was  haughty,  stub- 
born and  egotistical,  and  these  traits  of  character  I 
inherited  from  him.  But  while  I  honestly  inher- 
ited combativeness,  stubbornness  and  egotism  from 
my  father,  these  characteristics  became  very  objec- 
tionable to  him  when  displayed  by  myself.  So 
from  my  earliest  childhood  days  there  was  a  con- 
tinual tug  of  war  between  us  to  see  who  would  be 
master  of  the  house. 

There  was  one  inheritance  I  received  from  my 
father  however,  that  I  have  always  felt  profoundly 
grateful  to  him  for,  namely,  a  sound  physical  con- 
stitution. One  of  his  earnest  teachings,  which,  by 
the  way,  was  generally  ridiculed,  was  that  parents 
should  not  bring  children  into  the  world  unless 
they  themselves  had  led  temperate  lives  and  were 
in  perfect  health.  In  this  respect  he  lived  as  he 
preached  and  practiced  temperateness  in  all  things. 

As  I  grew  up  I  was  taught  to  take  care  of  my- 
self physically,  as  well  as  mentally  and  morally. 
At  the  age  of  eleven  I  was  as  large  and  strong  as 
most  boys  of  sixteen,  and  at  sixteen  there  were  few 
men  who  could  outdo  me  in  feats  of  strength  and 
endurance.  My  education  was  limited  to  what  I 


12  Born  Again 

learned  at  the  different  public  schools  which  I  at- 
tended, and  without  exception  I  was  always  rated 
as  the  very  worst  boy  of  the  whole  institution.  I 
do  not  believe  that  ever  a  day  passed  that  I  was 
not  sent  to  the  principal  for  refractory  conduct, 
and  in  many  instances  I  was  suspended  or  expelled 
entirely.  Fighting  was  my  chief  offence  as  I  was 
always  ready  and  anxious  for  a  fistic  encounter 
with  any  boy  who  was  willing  to  battle.  In  short 
I  was  a  very  unruly  child  with  an  independent 
spirit  who  recognized  the  authority  of  nobody  to 
give  arbitrary  commands.  In  consequence  of  these 
facts  my  father  and  I  had  frequent  altercations  and 
as  my  innate  love  for  travel  and  adventure  asserted 
itself  I  ran  away  from  home  when  but  eleven 
years  old,  an  age  when  most  children  are  mere 
babies,  and  started  out  in  the  world  to  paddle  my 
own  canoe. 

I  began  to  earn  my  own  living  by  selling  news- 
papers on  the  streets  of  Chicago,  and  from  that 
time  on  became  a  wanderer  upon  the  face  of  the 
earth ;  working  at  various  occupations  and  enga- 
ging in  many  schemes  and  pursuits  in  an  endeavor 
to  pay  my  way  through  life,  and  during  the  next 
eleven  years  I  not  only  visited  every  part  of  the 
United  States,  but  nearly  every  country  in  the 
world,  during  which  time  I  experienced  enough 
adventures  to  fill  many  books  if  put  into  print,  but 


Born  Again  13 

as  they  have  no  bearing  upon  this  narrative  I  must 
pass  them  by  without  mention.  And  so  at  the  age 
of  twenty-two,  being  then  a  worthless  vagabond,  I 
was  aboard  a  three-masted  schooner  working  my 
way  from  Australia  to  England  as  a  common 
sailor.  That  was  during  the  year  of  1881. 


CHAPTER  II 

Phrenologists  after  studying  the  bumps  on  my 
head  have  invariably  told  me  that  I  lacked 
diplomacy.  This,  as  I  understand  it  simply  means 
an  incapability  of  acting  the  hypocrite.  And  it 
does  seem  under  the  present  system  of  human 
existence,  that  he  who  fails  to  practice  hypocrisy 
finds  innumerable  obstacles  to  overcome,  which 
otherwise  might  be  avoided.  So,  lacking  in  this 
virtue,  as  diplomacy  is  sometimes  styled,  led  me 
into  trouble  with  nearly  everybody  with  whom  I 
had  any  dealings.  Indeed,  had  it  not  been  for 
this  very  defect  in  my  nature,  I  should  not  have 
been  forced  to  pass  through  the  most  remarkable 
life,  I  think,  ever  experienced  by  living  man. 
And  so  the  ship  had  barely  passed  out  of  the  har- 
bor before  I  had  undiplomatically  aroused  the 
enmity  of  all  the  other  seamen,  and  within  two 
weeks  I  was  thoroughly  detested  by  every  man 
aboard  from  the  captain  to  the  cook.  The  crew  was 
composed  of  an  unusually  tough  set  of  European 
characters  who  avowed  from  the  beginning  that  they 
did  not  like  Yankees  anyway  and  would  make 
life  insufferable  for  me  before  reaching  the  next 

14 


Born  Again  15 

port.  Fist  fights  became  frequent  and  each  one 
of  the  sailors  took  a  "punch  at  my  head"  at  differ- 
ent times,  only  to  learn  that  I  enjoyed  that  kind 
of  sport  and  retaliated  in  a  way  that  laid  the 
offender  up  for  repairs  afterward.  The  fact  that 
in  these  encounters  I  always  gained  an  easy  vic- 
tory over  my  opponents  caused  a  more  intense 
feeling  of  bitterness  to  exist  than  ever,  and  to 
make  matters  worse  the  captain's  wife  who  was  the 
only  woman  on  the  ship  took  sides  with  me 
against  all  the  others.  This  apparently  angered 
the  captain,  for  on  one  occasion  after  he  had  given 
orders  to  have  me  put  in  irons  for  breaking  one  of 
my  shipmate's  ribs  and  she  interceded  in  my 
behalf,  he  became  furious  and  threatened  to  have 
me  thrown  overboard.  This  threat  however,  only 
had  the  effect  of  making  me  more  stubborn  and 
defiant.  As  a  cowboy  I  had  fought  Indians  and 
real  bad  men  in  the  western  states  of  America, 
hunted  elephants  in  Africa,  tigers  in  India,  and 
roughed  it  as  a  gold  seeker  in  Australia  until  I 
had  become  hardened  against  danger  and  ab- 
solutely fearless,  so  that  a  menace  against  my  life 
did  not  worry  me  in  the  least.  In  fact,  I  really 
enjoyed  the  situation  and  dared  the  captain  to  do 
his  worst. 

We  had  been  out  of  Sydney  about  four  weeks, 
and  although  I  did  not  know  the  exact  latitude  and 


16  Born  Again 

longitude,  I  imagined  we  must  have  been  a  con- 
siderable to  the  south  and  east  of  Cape  Colony. 
It  seems  to  me  now  that  I  heard  somebody  say  we 
were  a  little  further  south  of  the  regular  course 
taken  by  vessels  sailing  around  the  Cape.  It  was 
one  of  those  pleasant  nights  in  December,  which 
one  must  experience  in  southern  waters  to  apprec- 
iate, that  I  took  my  turn  on  watch  in  the  forward 
part  of  the  boat.  It  was  past  midnight  and  one 
of  the  darkest  nights  I  have  ever  known.  The 
sea  was  rather  calm  but  a  good  breeze  astern 
caused  the  ship  to  make  good  headway.  I  was  all 
alone  and  paced  back  and  forth  from  side  to  side 
peering  out  into  space  and  darkness  ahead.  Occas- 
ionally, I  wouldremain  for  several  minutes  leaning 
against  one  of  the  railings.  Except  for  the  splash- 
ing of  the  sea  against  the  side  of  the  ship,  all 
was  quiet.  As  I  stood  in  one  of  my  meditative 
moods  looking  straight  ahead  I  was  suddenly  at- 
tracted by  something  which  caused  me  to  turn 
quickly  and  look  in  the  opposite  direction,  and 
then  I  observed  the  forms  of  four  men  coming 
quickly  toward  me,  but  before  I  realized  their 
object  or  had  time  to  speak  they  grabbed  me  by 
the  arms  and  legs.  I  struggled  furiously  for 
several  moments  and  freeing  my  hands  dealt  one 
of  them  a  vicious  punch  which  felled  him  to  the 
deck,  and  it  seemed  for  awhile  that  I  would  shake 


Born  Again  17 

them  all  off,  when  suddenly  I  received  a  terrible 
blow  on  the  side  of  my  head  which  partially 
stunned  me,  and  during  the  instant  of  inactivity  on 
my  part  I  was  raised  bodily  high  in  the  air  and 
plunged  into  the  waters  below. 


CHAPTER  III 

It  was  in  a  semi-conscious  state  that  I  struck  the 
water  head  foremost,  and  it  was  by  instinct  I  sup- 
pose that  I  immediately  started  to  swim  away 
from  the  side  of  the  vessel. 

Although  I  was  a  powerful  swimmer  it  seemed 
as  if  I  should  never  reach  the  surface  again.  The 
sudden  and  unexpected  plunge  had  caused  me  to 
go  into  the  sea  with  my  mouth  open  and  thereby 
swallow  a  large  quantity  of  salt  water.  When 
almost  on  the  verge  of  strangulation,  however,  by 
a  supreme  effort  I  finally  managed  to  reach  the 
air  again,  more  dead  than  alive.  It  was  then 
some  time  before  I  regained  my  breath  and  fully 
understood  what  had  happened.  I  assure  the 
reader  that  it  was  not  a  very  pleasant  sensation  to 
find  myself  out  in  the  middle  of  the  ocean  without 
even  the  support  of  a  life  preserver  and  the  ship 
sailing  away  in  the  distance.  During  my  adven- 
turous career  I  had  faced  death  a  score  of  times 
without  the  slightest  emotion  or  semblance  of 
fright,  but  as  I  floated  about  on  that  broad 
expanse  of  water  alone  I  then  realized  for  the  first 
tune  in  my  life  what  a  tiny,  helpless  microbe  I 
really  was. 

18 


Born  Again  19 

Oh,  you  little  mortal  known  as  man;  you 
microscopical  mixture  of  protoplasm  and  egotism ; 
you  atomical  speck  of  ignorance  and  avarice; 
you  who  believe  that  the  earth,  moon,  stars  and 
all  creation  was  manufactured  for  your  special 
benefit ;  if  you  could  only  be  shown  your  actual 
size  in  the  universe  as  I  was  on  that  occasion,  I 
think  it  would  result  in  the  eradication  of  some  of 
your  innate  vanity  and  selfishness,  thereby  prov- 
ing an  incalculable  blessing  to  you. 

And  now  at  last  I  was  placed  in  a  position 
whereby  I  could  feel  and  reflect  upon  my  own 
littleness.  I  had  absolutely  no  hope  of  being 
saved  from  a  watery  grave,  feeling  that  it  was  only 
a  matter  of  an  hour  or  two  before  I  should  suc- 
cumb to  the  inevitable  and  sink  to  the  bottom  of 
the  sea.  Still  I  was  unwilling  to  give  up  the  few 
bones  entrusted  to  my  care  until  finally  overcome 
by  exhaustion  and  so  I  kept  afloat  by  lying  on 
my  back  and  exerting  myself  as  little  as  possible. 

At  length  however,  my  strength  gave  way  en- 
tirely and  I  felt  that  the  time  had  arrived  when  I 
must  come  face  to  face  with  the  God  whom  I  had 
been  taught  to  believe  in  from  infancy  according 
to  the  Christian  faith.  Then  it  seemed  that  a 
million  thoughts  crowded  themselves  into  my 
brain  at  the  same  time. 

How  would  He  receive  me?     What  dire  judge- 


20  Born  Again 

merit  would  He  pass  upon  me  ?  Had  I  ever  done 
anything  to  merit  His  pleasure  ?  I  could  not  rec- 
ollect one  good  deed  I  had  ever  accomplished  of 
sufficient  importance  to  call  to  His  attention,  but 
on  the  contrary  I  recalled  a  thousand  bad  acts  I 
should  not  have  committed.  I  had  spent  a  roving, 
aimless  existence  in  which  I  had  done  practically 
nothing  to  increase  the  production  or  knowledge 
of  the  world.  I  had  lived  for  mvself  alone — a 

0 

life  of  mere  pleasure  seeking,  without  ever  a 
thought  of  others'  rights  or  happiness.  I  remem- 
bered that  during  a  hunting  expedition  in  Africa 
how  I  had  once  shot  and  killed  seventeen  spring- 
bok in  one  day,  and  how  I  had  swelled  up  with 
conceit  to  know  that  I  had  destroyed  the  lives  of 
that  many  living  things.  True  they  were  not  hu- 
man beings,  but  were  they  not  creatures  of  nature 
as  well  as  myself?  What  right  had  I  to  take  the 
life  of  any  living  thing  at  all,  let  alone  for  mere 
pleasure  ?  What  excuse  could  I  now  offer  if  tried 
for  that  cowardly  offence?  Would  I  ask  God's 
forgiveness?  If  so,  would  it  be  any  better  to  ask 
Him  to  forgive  me  just  before  I  died  or  immedi- 
ately afterward  ?  What  difference  would  it  make? 
Then  again  I  wondered  if  God  would  have  any 
more  respect  for  me  if  after  committing  the  deed  I 
whined  and  begged  for  mercy.  Would  He  not 
consider  that  cowardly  on  my  part  ?  Would  He 


Born  Again  21 

not  think  better  of  me  if  I  went  forward  bravely 
and  said :  Here  I  am,  O  Lord,  I  know  I  have 
done  wrong,  now  punish  me  as  Thou  see'st  fit. 
What  would  I  do  if  I  were  to  occupy  the  Creator's 
position  as  supreme  judge  in  a  case  of  that  kind? 
Would  I  not  think  far  more  of  the  man  who 
would  come  forward  courageously  and  take  the 
punishment  he  deserved  than  the  creeping,  cring- 
ing and  whining  being  who  begged  for  mercy? 
Would  God  the  Creator  be  more  unreasonable 
about  the  matter  than  I,  whom  He  had  created  ? 

I  had  always  thanked  God  as  well  as  my  par- 
ents for  the  extraordinary  physical  strength  and 
courage  with  which  I  was  endowed,  and  during 
my  life  of  trials  and  hardships  that  courage  had 
never  been  shaken  by  man  or  beast,  but  now  I  felt 
that  the  crucial  test  was  about  to  be  applied. 
Would  the  courage  the  Almighty  gave  me  weaken 
when  about  to  face  Him  who  had  bestowed  it  upon 
me? 

With  these  and  similar  thoughts  passing  through 
my  mind  and  my  strength  exhausted,  I  took  one 
long  breath  and  sank  beneath  the  water. 


Sinking  slowly  down  with  a  feeling  of  drowsiness 
stealing  away  my  senses,  I  was  suddenly  awakened 
by  my  body  coming  to  an  abrupt  stop  and  rest- 
ing upon  some  hard  substance.  My  first  impres- 
sion was  that  I  had  collided  with  some  huge  sea- 
monster  and  was  about  to  be  devoured.  So 
placing  my  hands  and  feet  firmly  upon  it  I  sprang 
upward  with  all  the  force  I  could  command  in  an 
effort  to  get  out  of  its  reach,  but  to  my  great  sur- 
prise my  head  and  half  of  my  body  shot  out  of  the 
water  into  the  air  above  and  down  I  came  again 
square  upon  my  feet  with  a  jolt  that  caused  my 
teeth  to  rattle.  And  there  I  stood  with  my  head 
and  shoulders  out  of  the  water  while  my  lungs  in- 
haled long  draughts  of  pure  fresh  air.  I  was  too 
astonished  to  think  and  too  weak  to  move,  so  I  just 
stood  there  motionless  until  I  had  regained  my 
equilibrium.  I  could  never  forget  how  sweet  life 
seemed  to  me  at  that  time.  For  a  long  time  I  re- 
mained standing  there  without  giving  a  thought  as 
to  what  I  was  resting  upon,  and  when  I  did  direct 
my  attention  to  the  question  I  was  incapable  of 
forming  a  satisfactory  solution  to  the  mystery. 

22 


Born  Again  23 

According  to  the  charts  there  was  no  land  in  that 
part  of  the  ocean.  Could  it  be  a  whale,  I  won- 
dered ?  The  more  I  thought  of  it  the  more  per- 
plexed I  became.  The  night  was  very  dark  and  I 
could  see  nothing  about  me  in  any  direction,  so  I 
concluded  that  the  only  thing  to  do  was  to  remain 
standing  just  where  I  was  until  daybreak.  It  was 
a  long  and  tedious  wait  and  I  suffered  much  from 
stiffness  and  cold,  but  at  last  dawn  appeared  and  I 
anxiously  strained  my  eyes  looking  about  in  every 
direction.  And  then  my  head  nearly  burst  with  a 
feeling  of  joyousness,  for  within  two  hundred  yards 
of  me  I  discerned  the  outline  of  what  appeared  to 
be  a  hill  of  rocks  protruding  from  the  deep,  and  as 
the  light  grew  brighter  I  started  to  wade  slowly 
towards  it.  This  was  an  extremely  tiresome  un- 
dertaking as  the  bed  upon  which  I  had  been  resting 
was  very  rocky  and  uneven  and  I  received  many 
bruises  before  finally  reaching  its  base.  My  limbs 
too  were  thoroughly  numb  and  almost  refused  to 
work,  but  with  each  step  ahead  the  water  became 
shallower  and  my  progress  less  arduous.  As  I 
went  forward  I  thought  it  was  by  the  miraculous 
hand  of  God  that  my  life  had  been  saved,  for  the 
time  being  at  least.  Then,  again,  it  occurred  to  me, 
that  if  it  was  the  hand  of  the  Almighty  that  saved 
me,  it  must  have  been  by  His  hand  also  that  I  was 
thrown  overboard,  for  if  He  directed  the  one  act 


24  Born  Again 

He  must  have  surely  directed  the  other.  So  why 
blame  the  sailors  for  attempting  to  take  my  life  if 
it  was  God's  will  that  it  should  be  done  ? 

Reaching  the  base  of  the  rocks  in  a  feeble  con- 
dition and  staggering  like  a  man  under  the  influ- 
ence of  liquor,  I  threw  myself  down  and  went  to 
sleep  just  as  the  sun  peeped  over  the  horizon. 

Several  hours  later  I  awakened  with  a  start  to 
find  the  burning  sun  directly  over  head  and  my 
body  dripping  with  perspiration,  my  throat 
parched  and  an  awful  feeling  of  thirst  within  me. 
My  tongue  felt  as  though  it  was  several  inches 
thick  and  it  seemed  as  though  I  would  choke  im- 
mediately for  the  want  of  something  to  drink. 
Aside  from  the  thirst  however,  I  felt  considerably 
refreshed  and  sprang  to  my  feet  with  my  usual 
agility. 

The  first  thing  that  attracted  my  attention  as  I 
looked  about  in  a  curious  manner  was,  that  this 
strange  pile  of  stone  which  protruded  from  the 
sea,  bore  evidence  of  having  once  been  a  part  of 
some  mammoth  building  which  had  apparently 
been  shaken  down  and  now  lay  in  a  chaotic  heap. 
Some  of  the  stones  were  of  tremendous  size  and 
different  in  shape  and  quality  from  any  others  I 
have  ever  seen.  Their  designs  showed  that 
wonderful  skill  must  have  been  employed  by  the 
workmen  who  originally  cut  and  fit  them  into 


Born  Again  25 

position.  The  whole  mass  formed  a  sort  of  a 
ragged  hill  about  one  hundred  feet  in  diameter 
and  the  highest  point  about  forty  feet  above  the 
sea  level. 

In  looking  about,  I  discovered  to  my  great 
delight  that  among  the  crevices  of  the  rocks  there 
were  many  little  places  which  acted  as  basins  to 
store  up  water  from  the  recent  rains,  and  I  immed- 
iately took  advantage  of  these  conditions  to  quench 
my  thirst  and  bathe  my  face  and  head.  This  done 
I  began  climbing  up  toward  the  top  of  the  pile. 
It  took  considerable  time  and  patience  to  make 
the  ascent  as  the  stones  were  massed  together  in  a 
most  irregular  and  precipitous  manner.  Reach- 
ing the  highest  point,  I  eagerly  scanned  the  sur- 
rounding horizon  with  the  hope  of  seeing  some 
passing  ship,  but  nothing  except  sky  and  water 
met  my  gaze. 

Seating  myself  upon  the  topmost  rock,  I  became 
buried  in  the  depths  of  meditation,  and  as  I  sat 
perched  up  there  alone  without  even  a  glimpse  of 
a  sea-fowl  for  companionship  I  felt  as  if  I  was 
the  only  living  thing  extant;  in  fact,  I  actually 
imagined  myself  as  being  the  center  and  objective 
point  of  the  universe.  God  in  His  great  wisdom 
had  flung  me  there  for  some  purpose  or  other  and 
was  watching  my  movements  to  the  exclusion  of 
everything  else,  so  I  thought.  Aye,  even  the 


26  Born  Again 

warmth  from  the  rays  of  the  sun  had  been  ar- 
ranged for  my  special  benefit.  How  big  a  little 
faith  will  make  one  feel  sometimes. 

For  several  hours  I  remained  in  one  position 
musing  over  my  strange  situation  and  wondering 
what  the  final  outcome  would  be.  At  last,  after 
the  sun  had  gone  down  and  darkness  began  to 
encircle  me,  I  decided  to  look  about  and  find  a 
suitable  place  to  lie  down  and  sleep  for  the  night. 
So  I  began  to  climb  from  rock  to  rock  until  I  had 
reached  the  opposite  side  of  the  jagged  plateau, 
when  suddenly  one  of  the  great  stones  wabbled,  I 
lost  my  balance  and  slid  down  an  incline  into  a 
sort  of  a  pit.  Then  my  feet  struck  something 
which  momentarily  stopped  my  unexpected  de- 
scent, but  it  proved  to  be  a  mere  shell,  and  crash- 
ing through  it  I  landed  with  a  violent  jolt  about 
ten  feet  further  below.  Although  somewhat 
stunned  and  a  trifle  confused  by  the  suddenness 
of  the  fall,  I  quickly  regained  my  equanimity  and 
looking  upward  I  saw  a  small  hole  which  my 
body  had  passed  through,  the  shaggy  rocks  above, 
the  dark  sky  and  a  few  stars,  but  the  strangest 
thing  of  all  was,  that  the  grotto  into  which  I  had 
fallen  was  as  light  as  day. 


CHAPTER  V 

After  all  I  had  passed  through  during  the  pre- 
ceding twenty-four  hours,  then  to  be  suddenly 
cast  from  the  outer  darkness  into  a  hole  as  light 
as  if  illuminated  by  the  mid-day  sun  was  a  revela- 
tion that  caused  me  to  seriously  doubt  my  own 
senses.  But  having  spent  a  life  of  travel  and 
adventure  in  which  I  had  faced  many  unexpected 
dangers  and  inexplicable  sights,  I  soon  regained 
my  normal  presence  of  mind  and  began  to  look 
around  with  considerable  interest.  I  was  now 
fully  convinced  that  the  great  pile  of  stone  which 
I  had  so  strangely  reached  had  at  one  time  formed 
a  gigantic  structure  moulded  together  by  human 
ingenuity. 

The  enclosure  I  found  myself  within  might 
have  been  a  hallway  of  the  edifice,  but  it  was  hard 
to  positively  distinguish  it  as  such,  for  the  build- 
ing in  falling  had  placed  things  in  an  almost 
unrecognizable  condition.  Some  of  the  great 
stones  from  above  had  passed  through  the  ceiling 
and  floor,  while  others  had  become  wedged 
together  before  reaching  the  surface,  thus  forming 
a  very  ragged  and  peculiar  aperture. 

27 


28  Born  Again 

In  places  where  there  were  no  obstructions  I 
noticed  a  beautiful  white  marble  floor  while  here 
and  there  a  fragment  of  the  walls  showed  that  the 
art  of  decorating  had  at  one  time  reached  a  degree 
of  proficiency  quite  unapproachable  by  our  mod- 
ern artists.  The  space  I  found  myself  in  was  too 
irregular  in  its  outlines  to  form  an  adequate  idea 
of  what  it  might  have  been  used  for.  In  some 
places  I  had  to  stoop  to  pass  along,  while  in  others 
I  was  forced  to  climb  over  great  blocks  of  stone. 

After  being  in  this  passage  about  half  an  hour 
making  an  inspection  of  the  premises,  I  discovered 
a  small  opening  which  led  into  another  apartment. 
It  appeared  that  a  great  door  had  separated  the 
two  rooms,  but  had  apparently  become  broken  with 
the  fall  of  the  building  and  left  a  space  barely 
wide  enough  for  my  body  to  pass  through.  So  in 
I  went.  Or  out  I  went,  I  was  not  quite  sure 
which,  for  after  squeezing  through  the  doorway  a 
scene  presented  itself  to  my  astonished  gaze  that  I 
must  confess  my  inability  to  properly  describe. 

The  view  before  me  was  a  mammoth  park  with 
its  variety  of  trees,  flowers  and  shrubbery  of  every 
possible  description. 

Straight  ahead  in  the  distance  and  plainly  dis- 
cernible was  a  running  brook  which  flowed  along 
in  a  devious  course  and  emptied  into  a  lake  far 
beyond.  And  there,  in  all  its  majesty  was  the  sun 


Born  Again  29 

just  sinking  behind  the  horizon,  its  brilliant  radi- 
ance forming  the  most  beautiful  effects  of  coloriza- 
tion  upon  the  distant  clouds  it  has  ever  been  my 
good  fortune  to  behold. 

I  stood  in  motionless  reverence  for  several  min- 
utes as  my  mind  expanded  with  wonder  at  the  mag- 
nificent panorama,  while  my  nostrils  inhaled  a  most 
delicious  fragrance  from  the  innumerable  plants 
which  seemed  to  put  new  life  into  my  enervated 
body. 

What  strange  phenomena  is  this,  I  soliloquized  ? 
On  the  outside  of  the  earth  the  sun  had  gone  down 
and  darkness  prevailed,  while  down  here,  in  under 
its  crust  I  found  it  blazing  away  in  all  its  splendor. 
In  fact  it  seemed  that  an  entirely  new  world  had 
suddenly  been  thrown  in  front  of  me.  Wag  I 
really  alive  or  had  I  passed  into  some  other  world, 
was  the  next  question  to  enter  my  mind.  I  re- 
membered that  I  had  fallen  a  considerable  distance 
into  this  strange  place  and  was  somewhat  stunned 
in  the  tumble.  Perhaps,  thought  I,  my  body  is 
still  lying  somewhere  among  the  rocks  above  while 
this  is  only  my  spirit  wandering  about  in  a  fanci- 
ful manner.  But  no,  looking  downward  I  plainly 
saw  my  massive  frame  dressed  in  sailors  clothes  just 
as  I  had  left  the  ship  and  I  was  positive  of  being 
alive,  awake,  and  in  my  right  senses.  And  the 
wonders  multiplied.  Looking  to  the  right  of  the 


30  Born  Again 

entrance,  a  short  distance  away  I  observed  a  marble 
platform  elevated  about  two  feet  from  the  ground, 
in  the  midst  of  huge  flower-beds  and  shaded  by 
large  trees,  upon  which  sat  a  number  of  men,  silent 
and  motionless,  with  various  musical  instruments  in 
their  hands  as  if  they  had  just  finished  playing  and 
were  taking  a  short  rest.  These  instruments  were 
of  an  entirely  different  pattern  from  any  I  had 
ever  seen.  And  the  men  !  Oh,  if  I  only  had 
the  power  to  show  them  to  my  fellow  beings  as  I 
saw  them.  What  an  imposing,  noble  looking  lot 
they  were.  They  were  all  about  the  same  size  and 
not  one  of  them  could  have  been  less  than  eight 
feet  in  height.  In  looking  at  them  closely,  I 
noticed  that  they  possessed  most  magnificent 
physiques.  They  were  neither  fat  nor  lean  and 
their  well-groomed  bodies  showed  plainly  that  no 
horse  or  piece  of  machinery  ever  received  better 
care  or  attention.  While  they  appeared  to  be 
from  thirty  to  forty  years  in  ages,  not  one  of  them 
wore  a  mustache,  beard  or  any  other  shaggy  deco- 
ration of  the  face.  Their  foreheads  were  broad 
and  massive  and  extended  to  the  center  of  their 
splendidly  shaped  craniums.  Extraordinary  in- 
telligence, kindness  and  gentleness  showed  forth 
from  every  feature  of  their  handsome  coun- 
tenances. Judging  from  their  well-proportioned 
frames,  each  one  looked  powerful  enough  to  battle 


Born  Again  31 

single  handed  with  an  elephant.  Judging  from  their 
faces  not  one  of  them  would  have  hurt  a  flea.  Each 
man  appeared  to  be  buried  in  the  depth  of  thought 
— serious  thought — notwithstanding  every  physi- 
ognomy plainly  showed  that  the  utmost  happiness 
and  contentment  existed  within  each,  and  goodwill 
between  all  of  them.  The  skin  of  their  faces, 
hands  and  feet  was  as  white  as  snow,  transparent, 
and  backed  by  a  beautiful  pink.  At  first  sight  I 
thought  they  were  the  gods.  Uniformly  clothed 
in  closely  fitting  garments  from  the  ankles  to  the 
neck,  their  superb  forms  showed  complete  symmet- 
rical perfection.  The  hue  of  their  raiment  was 
indescribable  for  I  had  never  seen  the  like  before. 
In  fact  the  colors  actually  appeared  to  change  be- 
fore my  steady  gaze.  Their  feet  were  bare,  very 
shapely,  and  the  toes  of  greater  length  than  ordi- 
narily. 

As  I  stood  rooted  to  the  ground  and  viewed  them 
with  intense  admiration,  I  wondered  why  they  did 
not  speak  or  take  notice  of  my  presence.  But 
finally  in  order  to  attract  their  attention  I  shouted, 
hello.  My  voice  sounded  rather  harsh  and  pecul- 
iar on  this  occasion,  and  was  more  like  the  bray  of 
an  ass  than  anything  else,  but  they  made  no  motion 
as  if  they  heard  me,  or  were  aware  of  my  existence. 
Walking  over  to  the  nearest  one,  I  reached  up  and 
touched  him  on  the  shoulder.  Then  I  sprang  back 


32  Born  Again 

in  amazement,  for  instead  of  giving  any  sign  of 
recognition  he  merely  placed  his  instrument  in 
position,  as  did  all  the  others,  and  with  slow  grace- 
ful movements  began  to  play.  The  first  strains  of 
music,  although  distinct  and  supernaturally  grand, 
seemed  to  be  miles  away  but  gradually  increased  in 
sound  as  if  coming  nearer  and  nearer.  At  the  same 
time  I  observed  that  the  musicians,  who  were  not 
only  using  both  hands  in  the  manipulation  of  their 
instruments  but  with  graceful  dexterity  their  feet 
as  well,  were  becoming  enthusiastic  and  appeared 
to  throw  their  very  lives  and  souls  into  the  work. 
If  at  first  while  inactive  they  appeared  to  be  ex- 
traordinarily intellectual  beings,  now  in  action  they 
looked  divine.  Their  eyes  blazed  like  miniature 

w 

suns  shooting  forth  sparks  of  a  thousand  different 
hues.  It  seemed  as  if  the  very  music  itself  came 
from  the  expression  of  their  faces.  And  on,  on,  on, 
came  the  intoxicating  strains  increasing  in  volume 
and  excellence  until  I  imagined  that  all  heaven 
had  broken  loose  in  one  great  effort  to  charm  my 
feeble  senses,  and  then  with  a  thunderous  climax 
it  ceased  instantly,  the  musicians  smiled  and  bowed 
pleasantly  to  one  another,  and  then  resumed  their 
former  attitudes. 

No  mortal's  pen  could  describe  my  ecstasy  while 
listening  to  the  music  produced  by  this  body  of — 
I  must  say  heavenly  creatures.  There  was  some- 


Born  Again  33 

thing  strange  and  analogous  about  it,  too,  that 
seemed  to  recall  a  mysterious  dream  or  vision  I  had 
once  passed  through.  Whether  it  was  caused  by 
the  music  or  the  kindly  expressions  of  love  for  one 
another  on  the  faces  of  the  players  I  know  not,  but 
nevertheless  great  tears  spontaneously  rolled  down 
my  cheeks,  the  first  I  ever  recollect  having  shed, 
and  at  the  conclusion  of  the  piece  I  remained 
transfixed  to  the  spot  for  several  minutes  in  deep 
cogitation. 

Once  more,  however,  my  inquiring  nature 
aroused  me  and  I  walked  over  toward  the  leader. 
His  face  was  turned  slightly  in  another  direction, 
so  I  decided  to  step  up  on  the  platform,  get 
squarely  in  front  of  him  and  look  straight  into  his 
eyes.  So  with  a  light  movement  I  sprang  for  the 
rostrum.  But  instead  of  reaching  it  my  foot  and 
head  struck — not  the  platform  but  solid  wall,  and 
a  second  later  I  found  myself  in  a  heap  on  the 
ground.  And  then  I  started  to  think.  Next  I 
began  to  feel  and  finally  a  broad  grin  overspread 
my  face,  for  the  scene  before  me  was  not  real  after 
all,  but  a  wonderful  painting  on  the  interior  of  the 
building. 


CHAPTER  VI 

Putting  my  hand  against  the  surface  and  walk- 
ing along  I  discovered  that  this  great  scene  which 
appeared  to  stretch  away  into  the  distance  for  sev- 
eral miles,  including  the  trees,  brook,  lake,  sun, 
clouds,  sky,  and  everything  else,  was  painted  on 
the  wall,  ceiling  and  floor,  of  a  circular  room.  The 
ceiling  was  arranged  in  the  shape  of  a  dome,  while 
the  floor  made  a  concave  connection  with  the  wall. 
The  whole  apartment  could  not  have  been  over 
fifty  feet  in  diameter.  The  entire  room  was  cov- 
ered by  one  painting,  and  so  well  had  the  work 
been  done  that  the  only  way  I  could  discern  the 
difference  between  the  real  and  artistic  scene  was 
by  extending  my  hands  in  front  of  me  and  feeling 
my  way  along. 

But  what  about  the  music  ?  Surely  I  heard  it, 
and  without  doubt  the  skilled  musicians  had  per- 
formed their  work  right  before  my  eyes.  And  the 
sun,  the  light,  and  the  fragrance  from  the  flowers, 
what  about  these  ?  While  in  a  state  of  perplexity 
at  not  being  able  to  understand  these  mysterious 
things,  my  eyes  fell  upon  something  which  I  had 
not  noticed  previously,  at  the  same  time  causing 

84 


Born  Again  35 

me  to  give  a  sudden  start  as  if  pierced  by  an  elec- 
tric shock. 

To  the  left  of  the  door  through  which  I  had 
entered  and  lying  in  a  reclining  position  upon  a 
bed  of  flowers,  similar  in  shape  to  a  modern  sofa, 
was  the  most  beautiful  object,  I  think,  ever  created 
— a  woman.  And  such  a  woman.  Oh,  ignorant 
humanity,  why  do  you  not  breed  all  women  like 
that  one?  Although  nearly  twenty-three  years 
have  passed  since  then,  still  the  vision  of  her  is  as 
fresh  upon  my  mind  now  as  at  that  moment  when 
my  eyes  first  beheld  her.  And  as  I  think  of  her 
now  I  am  unable  to  repress  the  tears  from  filling 
my  eyes,  strong  man  that  I  am. 

Dressed  in  a  tight-fitting  costume  like  those 
worn  by  the  men,  with  the  addition  of  a  net-like 
drapery  of  light  material  entwined  about  her,  and 
lying  in  a  comfortable  position  partly  on  one  side, 
with  her  lovely  head  resting  upon  one  arm,  her 
shapely  body  and  limbs  posed  gracefully  and  her 
eyes  closed  in  slumber,  she  impressed  me  as  being 
the  queen  of  the  universe. 

This  is  the  most  beautiful  part  of  the  whole 
picture  thought  I,  taking  a  few  steps  forward. 
What  artist's  imagination  could  ever  have  created 
such  a  sublime  and  realistic  work  ?  As  I  stood  in 
reverent  contemplation  of  her  my  admiration 


36  Born  Again 

was  unbounded.  It  seemed  as  if  my  feelings 
would  burst  within  me.  My  first  love  for  woman 
was  then  and  there  confirmed  for  all  time.  I  de- 
cided I  would  stay  and  spend  the  rest  of  my  days 
right  there  silently  attesting  my  everlasting  de- 
votion to  that  divine  likeness  of  ideality.  Had 
I  not  discovered  that  the  whole  thing  was  a  work 
of  art,  I  should  have  felt  positive  that  she  was 
really  alive  and  merely  lay  there  in  peaceful  re- 
pose. A  sudden  thought  passed  through  my  mind 
which  gradually  expanded  into  an  irresistible 
desire ;  I  would  press  my  lips  to  hers  and  thereby 
seal  my  love  forevermore. 

Trembling  like  a  timid  school-boy  I  advanced 
closer.  How  lovely  she  appeared.  How  real. 
Bending  forward  and  putting  my  head  in  juxta- 
position to  hers  it  seemed  as  if  I  actually  heard 
her  heart  beat.  It  may  have  been  my  own.  "With 
my  face  flushed  and  feeling  that  perhaps  I  might 
be  taking  an  unfair  advantage  of  one  who  would 
not  appreciate  my  caress,  I  tenderly  touched  her 
lips  with  mine.  For  another  moment  of  such  in- 
describable ecstasy  I  would  gladly  pass  through  all 
the  imaginary  tortures  of  the  infernal  regions. 
But  it  ended  there. 

No  sooner  had  our  lips  come  together  than  I 
became  aware  of  the  fact  that  the  adorable  object 


Born  Again  37 

before  me  was  real  and  not  artificial  as  supposed. 
As  if  by  magic  her  mouth  twitched  slightly  and 
her  whole  frame  quivered  perceptibly;  then  she 
opened  her  eyes  and  finally  with  a  most  graceful 
spring  she  landed  squarely  upon  her  feet  directly 
in  front  of  me.  I  jumped  backward  in  utter 
amazement.  And  there  we  stood  face  to  face  star- 
ing into  each  other's  eyes.  I  then  noticed  that  she 
was  about  seven  feet  in  height  and  although  not 
lean  still  there  was  not  an  ounce  of  superfluous 
flesh  on  her  serpent-like  figure.  Like  the  men, 
she  too  was  bare  footed,  and  her  hair,  a  dark  silky 
texture,  was  short  and  very  artistically  arranged. 
Her  snow  white  face,  transparent  with  pink,  was  the 
acme  of  loveliness,  with  an  expression  of  gentle- 
ness, purity  and  modesty  plainly  stamped  upon 
every  feature.  Her  dazzling  eyes  sparkled  with 
the  brilliancy  of  huge  diamonds.  Evidently 
she  was  as  much  astonished  as  myself  at  the 
strange  course  of  events.  Although  she  did  not 
speak  still  I  received  an  impression  from  her  as  if 
put  into  so  many  words  which  plainly  said  :  "John, 
am  I  dreaming  or  what  awful  experiment  have 
you  attempted  to  transform  yourself  into  such  a 
hideous  creature?  "  I  tried  to  speak  but  my  first 
effort  nearly  cnoked  me.  Then  in  a  voice  which 
seemed  to  be  unusually  coarse  I  finally  blurted  out : 


38  Born  Again 

"My  dear  lady,  will  you  kindly  tell  me  who  or 
what  you  are?"  These  words  seemed  to  puzzle 
her  more  than  ever  and  after  hurriedly  glancing 
about  the  room  she  looked  me  over  carefully  from 
head  to  foot.  Speaking  once  more  I  said  :  "  Mad- 
ame, can  you  understand  my  language?"  Then 
I  received  another  strange  but  unmistakable  im- 
pression which  replied :  "  I  can  understand  your 
thoughts  but  not  your  babble."  "Are  you  able," 
she  continued  telepathically,"  to  give  an  explanation 
of  this  extraordinary  metamorphosis?  "  "The  only 
information  I  can  offer "  answered  I,  "  will  be 
cheerfully  given.  My  name  is  John  Convert, 
late  seaman  aboard  the  schooner  Brawl,  bound 
from  Sydney  to  London.  Last  night  I  was  thrown 
overboard  by  my  shipmates  and  after  floating 
about  the  deep  for  several  hours  I  landed  upon 
this  pile  of  ruins  surrounded  by  the  sea.  In  mak- 
ing an  investigation  of  the  exterior  I  lost  my  foot- 
hold, fell  into  a  crevice  and  breaking  through  a 
thin  crust  I  landed  in  the  outer  passageway  which 
finally  led  me  into  this  room.  I  must  confess 
that  everything  here  is  as  inexplicable  to  me  as  I 
appear  to  you."  As  I  spoke  she  seemed  to  be 
laboring  under  intense  mental  excitement  and 
tears  came  to  her  eyes. 

"I  understand  it  all  now"  she  made  known  to 


Born  Again  39 

me  in  her  mysterious  way,  "the  experiment 
failed." 

"What  experiment  was  that?"  questioned  I  in 
surprise. 

Looking  me  straight  in  the  eye  as  though  try- 
ing to  impress  upon  my  mind  the  importance  of 
her  communication,  she  answered,  "the  attempt  of 
man  to  change  the  course  of  the  earth  in  space." 


CHAPTER  VII 

"And  so  you  inform  me  that  there  is  nothing 
left  of  beautiful  Sageland  but  a  heap  of  ruins  sur- 
rounded by  the  sea  "  mused  the  lovely — the  idea 
struck  me  to  name  her  Arietta — "tell  me  what 
happened  to  the  rest  of  my  people." 

"  Not  knowing  anything  about  the  matter  it  is 
impossible  for  me  to  answer  that  question,"  replied 
I ;  "  and  although  I  have  traveled  through  nearly 
every  country  on  earth  still  no  such  people  as  you 
or  the  magnificent  objects  represented  in  that  pic- 
ture have  ever  come  to  my  attention  before.  In  fact 
I  have  never  read  of  such  a  race  or  even  heard  of 
a  country  by  the  name  of  Sageland." 

At  this  remark  she  turned  abruptly  and  walked 
— or  rather  flew,  so  easy  and  graceful  were  her 
movements — over  to  a  portion  of  the  wall  and 
looked  long  and  earnestly  into  a  peculiar  instru- 
ment, then  returning  she  said  :  (without  the  use  of 
words)  "  according  to  my  chronometer,  more  than 
four  thousand  two  hundred  and  thirty  years  have 
elapsed  since  the  awful  catastrophe." 

"  Four  thousand,  two  hundred  and  thirty  years !  " 
ejaculated  I,  "  great  heavens,  that  must  have  been 

40 


Born  Again  41 

about  the  time  of  the  flood."  "  What  flood  ?  "  in- 
quired she. 

Then  I  proceeded  to  tell  her  how  in  those  days 
the  people  of  the  world  being  so  wicked  that  God 
during  a  terrible  fit  of  anger  made  it  rain  for  forty 
days  and  forty  nights,  causing  the  destruction  of 
every  living  thing  on  earth  except  one  Noah,  his 
family  and  a  male  and  female  of  every  animal, 
bird  and  insect,  who  were  saved  by  being  taken 
aboard  of  a  huge  ark  built  for  the  purpose  by 
Noah.  And  then  after  every  living  thing  not 
aboard  the  boat  was  destroyed,  how  the  waves  re- 
ceded, Noah  and  his  flock  were  safely  landed  upon 
a  mountain  peak,  and  God  put  a  bow  into  the  sky 
as  a  pledge  that  he  would  never  do  such  a  thing 
again.  Arietta  appeared  somewhat  amused  at  my 
recital  of  the  story  and  at  its  conclusion  merely 
remarked  :  "  Noah  evidently  had  more  good  sense 
than  his  god."  Then  she  added :  "As  to  the  rain- 
bow, that  was  seen  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth 
millions  of  years  before  Noah's  time." 

"  And  so  the  world  has  retrogressed  during  the 
past  four  thousand  years,"  mused  she  sadly. 

"  Retrogressed !  No  indeed,  the  world  has  made 
great  progress  and  has  now  reached  a  wonderful 
state  of  civilization,"  answered  I,  proudly. 

Motioning  me  to  an  opposite  position  she  majes- 
tically seated  herself  upon  the  couch  and  after 


42  Born  Again 

seriously  looking  at  me  for  some  time  she  finally 
said :  "  This  is  one  of  nature's  most  extraordinary 
proceedings  and  there  are  many  things  I  wish  to 
talk  with  you  about,  but  before  going  into  the 
details  of  this  matter  I  am  anxious  to  get  a  view 
of  the  world  as  it  exists  now.  You  have  observed 
that  unlike  the  lower  animals,  in  which  rank  un- 
fortunately you  belong  at  the  present  time" — here 
I  interrupted  her  by  bursting  forth  into  loud 
laughter,  not  because  I  enjoyed  being  called  an 
animal  myself  but  at  the  thought  of  how  some  of 
my  civilized  friends  would  feel  if  informed  that 
they  were  lower  animals.  My  intervention  how- 
ever, not  disturbing  her  in  the  least  she  resumed : 
"  In  our  nomenclature  your  species  was  known  as 
the  Apeman,  and  represented  in  the  chain  of 
evolution  the  link  between  the  Ape  and  Man. 
Our  scientists  placed  the  Apeman  within  the  ranks 
of  the  lower  animals  for  reasons  I  shall  make  clear 
later.  But  to  continue,  you  have  observed  that 
unlike  yourself  I  have  been  conversing  with  you 
without  the  use  of  the  voice  but  with  the  mind, 
the  most  effectual  agent  of  communication  and  one 
of  the  senses  the  Apeman  has  not  cultivated.  Now 
I  shall  show  you  how  to  see  without  eyes. 

"  Mind  sight  is  an  occult  force  which  was  exer- 
cised to  great  advantage  by  my  people.  This  force 
eliminates  both  distance  and  obstruction  and  ex- 


Born  Again  43 

poses  to  view  the  object  sought  even  if  it  is  located 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  globe.  Any  mind,  if 
sufficiently  strong,  can  contract  distance  and  bring 
any  mundane  scene  within  its  range  while  pene- 
trating solid  matter  as  if  it  did  not  exist  at  all.  So 
by  utilizing  this  power,  which  I  possess  to  a  con- 
siderable degree,  it  is  my  intention  to  make  a  hur- 
ried survey  of  the  earth's  surface  in  order  to  obtain 
an  exact  idea  of  present  conditions.  Furthermore, 
by  the  subtle  concentration  of  our  mind  forces  to- 
gether I  shall  convey  to  your  inner  vision  the 
actual  scenes  witnessed  by  myself,  and  you  shall 
act  as  my  mental  consort  on  a  trip  around  the 
world." 

After  the  many  wonderful  things  I  had  already 
seen  it  was  my  opinion  that  there  was  nothing  im- 
possible for  this  beautiful  woman  to  perform,  so  I 
mildly  informed  her  that  I  was  at  her  service,  and 
ready  for  the  journey  to  begin. 

"Well  then,"  said  she,  "before  starting  I  wish 
to  warn  you  that  no  matter  what  you  see,  hear  or 
feel  on  this  trip  you  must  not  disturb  our  observa- 
tion with  your  primitive  babble,  apish  laughter  or 
by  trying  to  offer  any  comments  whatsoever." 

At  this  remark  I  was  brought  to  a  realization  of 
the  fact  that  Arietta,  whom  I  so  ardently  loved, 
aye  even  worshiped,  was  treating  me  in  about  the 
same  manner  as  I  would  have  treated  a  pet  mon- 


44  Born  Again 

key  had  I  been  teaching  it  some  new  tricks.  She 
evidently  regarded  my  smiles  and  feelings  for  her 
with  about  the  same  consideration  as  I  should  have 
given  to  those  of  some  grinning  female  baboon  had 
it  been  trying  to  make  love  to  me.  Her  last 
thoughts,  therefore,  aroused  my  sensitive  nature, 
and  a  violent  outburst  of  temper  was  the  result.  I 
did  not  mind  being  called  an  Apeman  so  much,  but 
hated  the  idea  of  being  treated  like  one,  so  working 
myself  into  a  passion  I  severely  censured  her,  and 
with  much  bluster  and  many  gestures  endeavored 
to  impress  upon  her  mind  how  much  superior  I 
was  to  what  she  had  imagined.  It  was  some  time 
before  my  anger  abated,  and  then  I  noticed  that 
she  appeared  quite  unmoved  by  my  wrath  but  sat 
looking  calmly  and  alternately  at  me  and  one  of 
the  figures  in  the  picture,  while  her  face  bore  an 
expression  of  sadness  and  pity.  And  then  I  felt 
ashamed  to  think  what  a  lack  of  self-control  I  had 
exhibited,  and  humbly  begged  her  pardon. 

"  But  now  "  said  Arietta,  and  I  fancied  that  she 
called  me  John,  "  your  soul  is  at  present  running 
the  machinery  of  a  very  inferior  mind  and  body 
which  plainly  shows  all  the  cruel  passions  and 
idiotic  ideas  of  the  Apeman.  This  has  happened 
through  no  fault  of  your  own  but  is  the  result  of 
circumstances  over  which  you  had  no  control  so 
that  you  are  not  responsible  for  your  present  con- 


Born  Again  45 

dition.  I  now  say  however,  that  you  have  been 
chosen  by  nature  for  a  great  and  glorious  work 
and  from  this  time  forward  you  must  make  use  of 
your  reasoning  faculties  for  reasonable  purposes 
and  cast  aside  all  the  animal  passions,  silly  ideas 
and  antiquated  superstitions  which  you  have  in- 
herited from  the  ignorant  of  ages,  and  begin  afresh. 
Before  starting  on  our  journey  perhaps  it  would  be 
well  for  us  to  take  some  refreshments  in  order  that 
our  minds  may  remain  strong  and  clear  during  the 
trip.  We  take  our  nourishment  in  a  different  way 
from  you  cannibals,"  said  Arietta,  as  she  went  to 
one  of  the  artificial  flower  gardens,  began  inhaling 
and  motioned  me  to  do  likewise.  "  But  we  are 
not  cannibals,"  I  mildly  remonstrated,  "we  do  not 
kill  and  eat  human  beings."  "Do  you  not  kill 
and  eat  the  flesh  of  other  living  things?"  inquired 
she.  "Yes"  replied  I,  "our  diet  consists  of  the 
flesh  of  birds,  fish  and  cattle  which  God  with  great 
wisdom  created  for  that  purpose."  "Did  he? 
Then  you  must  worship  a  cannibal  god  for  it  is 
but  a  very  short  step  between  eating  the  flesh  of 
your  own  species  and  that  of  others.  That  is  one 
reason  why  our  scientists  ranked  the  Apeman  with 
the  lower  animals.  But  come,  inhale  this  perfume 
and  see  if  it  is  not  far  more  refreshing  and  less 
disgusting  than  to  fill  your  stomach  with  roasted 
flesh." 


46  Born  Again 

At  her  suggestion  I  stationed  myself  near  the 
flower  bed  which  contained  a  large  variety  of  the 
most  beautiful  plants  I  had  ever  seen.  She  touched 
several  of  them  lightly  and  immediately  the  air  was 
saturated  with  a  most  delicious  fragrance  caused, 
no  doubt,  by  an  automatic  arrangement  concealed 
within  each  flower.  I  stood  like  one  in  a  most 
delightful  dream  inhaling  the  invigorating  fumes 
and  with  each  succeeding  breath  my  body  became 
stronger  and  my  mind  brighter  until  I  thought  I 
should  surely  die  from  the  effects  of  exuberant  joy 
when  my  attention  was  attracted  by  Arietta  who 
said:  "Come,  you  greedy  little  pig,  don't  you 
know  when  you  have  had  enough?"  Then  she 
added,  "  but  I  forgot  that  among  your  species 
greediness  is  considered  a  virtue." 


CHAPTER  VIII 

"Greediness  considered  a  virtue  among  my 
species."  Surely  I  must  have  misunderstood  her, 
thought  I,  once  more  seating  myself  preparatory 
to  beginning  my  mental  journey  with  Arietta. 
And  I  was  glad  to  know  that  she  would  shortly 
view  our  Christian  civilization  as  it  existed,  feeling 
positive  that  she  would  then  change  her  ideas 
regarding  my  species  being  lower  animals.  I  felt 
that  it  was  my  own  fault  because  she  harbored 
such  an  opinion  and  that  I  was  to  blame  for  being 
such  a  poor  representative  of  my  race  .for  her  to 
judge  by. 

"Now  then,  let's  be  off,"  said  she,  "as  I  feel 
that  my  time  will  be  short  with  you  and  we  had 
better  make  the  best  of  it  while  it  lasts."  "Time 
short  with  you."  Those  words  gave  me  more  pain 
than  if  a  sword  had  been  thrust  through  my  body. 
"By  all  the  gods  of  eternity,  I  would  not  care  to 
live  ten  minutes  if  anything  happened  to  that 
heavenly  being,"  thought  I,  gazing  at  her  with 
rapturous  feelings  of  tenderness.  "Call  me  a 
lower  animal,  a  hideous  creature  or  a  greedy  pig, 
and  treat  me  like  one  if  you  will,  but  do  not  leave 

47 


48  Born  Again 

me.  Stay  and  let  me  be  your  slave  forever." 
Those  were  my  sincere  thoughts.  She  understood 
them,  but  made  no  response. 

Settling  back  in  a  comfortable  position  with  my 
eyes  fastened  upon  Arietta  in  loving  adoration, 
the  scene  changed  instantly  and  I  found  myself 
once  more  upon  the  rocks  in  the  middle  of  the  sea. 
The  sun  was  just  rising  in  the  east  and  another 
day  was  begun.  And  then  our  meteoric  flight 
commenced,  and  quicker  than  it  takes  to  relate  I 
was  high  up  among  the  clouds  and  peering  down 
at  a  familiar  landscape.  I  recognized  the  location 
at  once  as  the  district  occupied  by  and  surround- 
ing Cape  Town,  South  Africa. 

I  had  been  there  before.  But  how  peculiar 
everything  appeared  now  as  I  looked  down  from 
above.  I  could  plainly  discern  the  harbor  and 
great  table-land  in  the  scene  before  me,  although 
apparently  shrunk  in  size,  but  the  city  itself  re- 
sembled a  little  toy  village,  while  the  largest  ships 
in  the  harbor  reminded  me  of  the  tiny  boats  I  used 
to  construct  when  a  child  and  float  about  in  the 
bath-tub.  But  where,  oh  where,  was  the  greatest 
of  all  exalted  things — that  for  which  the  entire 
universe  and  all  that  it  contains  therein  was  con- 
structed— mighty  man?  He  could  not  be  seen. 
In  fact  he  was  as  completely  invisible  as  the  pesti- 
lential germ  on  the  back  of  a  sick  flea.  "If  I 


Born  Again  49 

only  had  a  microscope,"  thought  I,  "perhaps  I 
could  see  him."  Then  I  began  to  descend,  until 
finally  I  discovered  innumerable  little  creepers 
moving  about  in  all  directions.  They  were  men 
At  first  sight  they  looked  to  be  about  the  size  of 
ants,  but  as  I  got  closer  to  the  earth  they  increased 
in  bulk  until  they  appeared  to  be  at  least  three 
inches  in  height,  and  then  their  importance  became 
noticeable.  As  they  moved  about  in  great  num- 
bers and  I  came  into  close  proximity  with  them,  I 
observed  that  the  actions  of  some  was  apparently 
sensible  but  that  the  doings  of  the  most  of  them 
was  positively  ridiculous.  For  instance,  here  was 
one  set  of  creatures  diligently  toiling  to  produce 
something  and  getting  nothing,  while  here  was  a 
set  of  idlers  doing  absolutely  nothing  but  receiving 
everything.  The  real  producer  of  all  the  necessi- 
ties and  luxuries  of  life  was  actually  giving  nine- 
tenths  of  the  fruits  of  his  labor  to  a  class  of  loafers 
and  schemers  who  took  it  as  a  divine  right,  and 
then  begrudged  him  the  one-tenth  he  received  of 
his  own  production.  I  observed  that  for  every  one 
of  these  producers  there  were  ten  non-producers 
who  spent  their  time  and  energies  devising  the 
best  ways  and  means  to  confiscate  that  which  had 
been  produced.  It  seemed  strange  that  the  pro- 
ducer would  allow  this  state  of  affairs  to  exist; 
but  he  did,  and  seemed  quite  elated  sometimes  to 


50  Born  Again 

think  that  the  non-producer  would  permit  him  to 
live  at  all.  I  noticed  that  most  of  the  non-pro- 
ducers were  fat  and  bloated  from  being  over-fed 
and  guzzling  prepared  liquors,  and  that  they  were 
clothed  with  the  finest  materials  the  producer  could 
contribute,  while  the  producers  themselves  were 
lean  and  hungry  looking  objects,  and  were  dressed 
in  rags.  I  had  seen  these  same  things  many 
times  before  without  giving  them  any  considera- 
tion, but  now  for  the  first  time,  I  felt  that  there 
was  something  wrong  with  the  people  of  the 
world.  It  seemed  to  me  now  that  the  entire 
system  of  human  endeavor  had  been  started  wrong 
and  was  running  along  upside  down.  But  what 
was  the  cause  of  this  curious  state  of  affairs?  One 
word  alone  explained  it  all — /Selfishness.  And  then 
there  came  to  me  a  sentence,  the  imprint  of  which 
has  never  been  effaced  from  my  memory,  viz: 
"Selfishness  is  the  root  of  all  evil;  eradicate  sel- 
fishness from  all  human  beings  and  the  earth  will 
be  heaven" 

Oh,  dear  reader,  go  over  these  few  words  again, 
and  again;  ten  times;  fifty  times;  one  hundred  times 
if  necessary  to  thoroughly  impress  their  full  meaning 
upon  your  intellect.  Study  them ;  practice  them ; 
teach  them;  sing  them  to  all  the  world.  Take 
them  for  your  everlasting  motto  and  you  will  have 
no  need  for  all  the  stupid  religions  ever  created  by 


Born  Again  51 

man.      "  Eradicate    selfishness   from    all    human 
beings  and  the  earth  will  be  heaven" 

And  now  I  observed  that  great  numbers  of 
these  little  men  were  being  unloaded  from  thevarious 
ships  in  the  harbor,  and  upon  landing  started  im- 
mediately in  a  northerly  direction.  I  understood 
the  reason.  Grold  had  been  discovered  in  the 
Transvaal,  and  thousands  upon  thousands  were 
coming  from  every  quarter  of  the  globe  in  antici- 
pation of  getting  some  of  this  metal.  And  what  is 
there  about  gold  that  caused  people  to  go  such 
vast  distances  and  bear  many  hardships  and  even 
risk  their  lives  in  desperate  efforts  to  obtain  it? 
Is  there  more  real  value  to  gold  than  other  metals? 
Not  at  all.  There  is  no  more  intrinsic  value  to 
gold  than  brass,  but  centuries  ago,  a  semi-savage 
glutton  discovered  that  he  could  not  eat  all  the 
swine  he  could  raise  nor  legally  steal  all  his  con- 
temporaries could  breed,  so  he  originated  a  plan 
whereby  he  could  secure  for  himself  what  others 
had  produced  through  the  agency  of  a  financial 
system  in  which  gold  could  be  used  as  a  medium 
of  exchange.  He  found  that  he  could  get  other 
and  less  crafty  savages  to  go  and  dig  the  gold  for 
him  in  return  for  swine.  He  also  found  that  the 
breeders  would  exchange  swine  for  gold.  So  he 
started  by  giving  the  diggers  one  swine  for  ten 
ounces  of  gold  and  the  breeders  one  ounce  of  gold 


62  Born  Again 

for  ten  swine.  This  transaction  he  called  busi- 
ness. This  system  of  business  has  been  handed 
down  from  generation  to  generation  until  it  has 
become  a  part  of  man's  very  nature.  He  knows 
very  little  of  anything  else.  Gold  being  the  finan- 
cial medium  of  business  he  is  taught  to  crave  for 
it  in  his  infancy  and  as  he  grows  older  gold 
becomes  his  idol — his  God.  In  order  to  gain  pos- 
session of  gold  or  its  equivalent  man  forgets  his 
soul  and  sells  his  honor.  He  is  willing  to  crush 
the  weak,  cheat,  steal  or  even  murder  his  fellow 
beings  to  obtain  it.  And  no  matter  whether  he 
had  little  or  much  of  it  he  would  consider  any 
person  insane  who  dared  suggest  the  abolition  of 
the  financial  system  which  permits  individual 
accumulation  and  breeds  selfishness  and  crime. 

With  a  change  of  mind,  I  landed  thousands  of 
miles  further  north  into  the  interior  of  uncivilized 
Africa,  the  home  of  wild  beasts.  Here  something 
occurred  which  caused  me  to  think  that  after  all, 
perhaps  Arietta  was  right  in  classing  my  species 
with  the  lower  animals.  Under  ordinary  condi- 
tions I  should  not  have  given  the  incident  a  second 
thought,  but  now  my  mind  being  directly  con- 
nected with  hers,  I  was  no  doubt,  impressed  in  the 
same  manner  as  she  while  viewing  these  things. 

A  party  of  English  gentlemen  were  on  a  hunt- 
ing expedition.  They  appeared  to  be  intelligent 


Born  Again  53 

beings  of  aristocratic  birth.  Men  whom  the  aver- 
age individual  would  take  as  examples  to  emulate. 
But  here  they  were  in  Africa,  thousands  of  miles 
from  home  with  the  sole  purpose  of  killing  some- 
thing for  pleasure.  A  short  distance  away  was  a 
family  of  lions ;  a  male,  female  and  several  cubs. 
The  lion  and  lioness  lay  close  together  apparently 
casting  loving  glances  at  one  another  and  enjoying 
the  antics  of  the  little  ones  who  were  playing  to- 
gether near  by.  Occasionally  the  little  ones  would 
run  over  and  kiss  their  elders  in  a  most  affectionate 
way  which  seemed  to  greatly  please  the  parents. 
Never  have  I  seen  a  family  of  human  beings  dis- 
play so  much  real  affection  toward  each  other  as 
this  family  of  lions.  But  alas,  their  happiness  was 
at  an  end.  Man's  appetite  for  killing  must  be  ap- 
peased. One  of  the  hunters  had  caught  sight  of 
the  happy  little  family,  and  slinking  behind  a  tree 
before  his  presence  became  known  to  the  lions  he 
signaled  to  his  comrades,  who  sneaked  forward 
from  tree  to  tree  until  they  were  within  easy  range 
of  their  prey.  Then  fixing  their  rifles  and  taking 
deliberate  aim  at  the  unsuspecting  victims,  and 
without  giving  them  any  chance  to  defend  them- 
selves or  little  ones,  these  so-called  brave  and  civ- 
ilized hunters  pulled  the  triggers  and  the  happy  old 
lion  and  the  lioness  simultaneously  expired  pierced 
by  a  dozen  bullets.  And  what  became  of  the  little 


54  Born  Again 

ones  ?  The  sight  was  too  pitiable  to  describe.  After 
the  effects  of  the  first  fright,  caused  by  the  noise 
of  the  shots  had  passed,  they  instinctively  rushed 
to  their  parents  for  protection.  Oh,  the  anguish 
depicted  upon  the  faces  of  these  little  things  when 
they  discovered  that  their  loving  progenitors  were 
no  more.  Their  looks  and  moans  were  heartrend- 
ing. But  there  were  others  made  happy.  A 
sudden  shout  of  joyousness  burst  forth  from  the 
throats  of  a  dozen  civilized  men  who  eagerly 
rushed  from  behind  their  fortresses  to  view  the 
work  of  destruction.  They  had  displayed  fine 
marksmanship  and  were  greatly  pleased.  Good 
shooting,  said  one  of  the  brave  fellows.  Splendid, 
exclaimed  another.  But  what  shall  we  do  with  the 
cubs?  asked  the  third.  Better  finish  them  also, 
remarked  a  fourth,  as  I  am  very  fond  of  cub  meat, 
and  would  like  nothing  better  than  a  broiled  steak 
from  one  of  their  little  carcasses.  After  a  few 
minutes'  parley  a  decision  was  reached  that  it  would 
be  un-Christian  to  allow  the  little  ones  to  wander 
about  the  jungle  alone  for  fear  that  they  might  be- 
come the  prey  for  other  wild  animals,  so  they 
killed  them  also ;  and  filled  their  stomachs  with 
them.  And  after  they  were  through,  a  flock  of 
vultures  descended  and  finished  the  work.  Men 
and  vultures  are  somewhat  alike  in  this  respect ; 
they  both  eat  the  flesh  of  carcasses.  A  good  word 
can  be  said  for  the  vultures,  however ;  they  never  kill. 


CHAPTER  IX 

It  is  not  my  intention  to  give  a  full  descriptive 
account  of  my  peculiar  journey  around  the  world 
with  Arietta,  nor  to  recount  the  many  strange 
things  witnessed,  Suffice  it  to  mention  that  we 
visited  nearly  every  country  on  the  globe  through 
the  power  of  mind  sight,  and  I  was  enabled  to  see 
any  terrestrial  occurrence  as  well  as  if  having 
been  on  the  spot  in  person.  In  fact,  being  under 
the  direct  influence  of  Arietta's  perception,  condi- 
tions appeared  much  more  comprehensive  to  me 
than  ever  before  and  I  felt  like  some  great  judge 
looking  down  upon  the  earth  and  its  inhabitants 
with  an  impartial  eye.  And  somehow  these  in- 
habitants did  not  seem  to  impress  me  as  being  in 
such  a  high  state  of  civilization  as  I  had  formerly 
been  led  to  believe  they  were.  Everywhere  hu- 
man beings  were  fighting  and  snarling  amongst 
themselves  like  wild  and  ferocious  beasts.  The 
universal  law  granted  the  right  of  the  strong  to 
victimize  the  weak  either  through  the  power  of 
physical  or  mental  force.  In  fact  it  was  considered 
a  divine  right  for  men  of  superior  intellects  to 
receive  more  of  the  fruits  of  the  earth  than  those 


55 


56  Born  Again 

of  smaller  mental  capacity.  One-half  of  the 
world  was  over-fed  while  the  other  half  was  under- 
fed. Aside  from  a  slight  difference  in  political 
and  religious  theories,  the  characteristics  of  all  the 
peoples  of  the  world  were  the  same ;  the  predom- 
inant features  being  greed,  vanity,  egotism,  intem- 
perance, gluttony,  fraud,  theft,  bribery,  deceit, 
brutality,  murder,  superstition  and  filth.  Even 
America,  the  much  boasted  land  of  the  free,  the 
country  which  God  in  his  infinite  wisdom  had 
taken  from  the  bad  English  and  given  to  the  good 
Americans,  contained  people  with  these  traits,  and 
the  so-called  great  men  of  this  country  appeared 
like  a  lot  of  silly  little  pigmies  engaged  in  an 
eternal  quarrel  over  a  few  trinkets.  Few  of  them 
could  see  further  than  their  own  noses  unless  it 
was  to  see  something  that  would  increase  their  own 
selfish  desires.  Equality,  of  which  these  people 
boasted  so  much,  existed  merely  in  their  imagina- 
tions. The  actual  meaning  of  equality,  as  the 
Americans  understood  it,  was  that  the  physical 
and  mental  gladiators  and  weaklings  alike  were 
put  into  one  great  prize  ring  and  given  an  oppor- 
tunity to  fight  for  their  lives  and  nature's  gifts. 
Those  who  were  capable  of  battering  down  and 
trampling  upon  their  adversaries  were  legally 
entitled  to  all  the  luxuries  the  earth  provided  and 
more  than  they  could  use,  but  those  who  were 


Born  Again  67 

unfortunate  enough  to  have  been  born  weaklings 
and  were  unfit  to  cope  successfully  with  the  huge 
monsters  in  the  ring,  were  crushed  in  the  struggle. 

Fraud  was  the  slogan  of  the  government  officials 
and  nearly  all  of  them  practiced  it  from  the 
highest  to  the  lowest  functionary.  Money  was 
the  power  behind  the  curtain  and  he  who  had  the 
largest  bank  account  was  catered  to  like  an  over- 
grown hog  surrounded  by  a  lot  of  suckling  pigs. 
"God  helps  those  who  help  themselves"  was 
their  accepted  motto.  In  other  words,  God  helps 
the  strong  and  not  the  weak.  If  the  Creator  of 
the  Universe  gives  any  of  His  attention  to  the 
innumerable  bickerings  of  these  earthly  microbes 
He  must  feel  greatly  flattered  by  having  this 
splendid  motto  thrust  upon  Him,  for  according  to 
it,  one  was  supposed  to  go  to  the  assistance  of  the 
man  who  could  swim,  while  he  who  could  not, 
must  be  left  to  drown. 

A  certain  so-called  great  American,  one  Mr. 
Moundbuilder  by  name,  expressed  great  faith  in 
this  doctrine.  By  employing  thousands  of  his 
fellow  men  to  do  the  hard  work  while  he  sat  in  an 
easy  chair  and  confiscated  the  difference  between 
what  they  earned  and  what  he  paid  them,  he 
accumulated  several  hundred  million  dollars  for 
his  own  use.  About  the  time  he  was  ready  to 
die  he  learned  to  his  great  sorrow  that  it  was  nee- 


58  Born  Again 

essary  to  leave  all  this  wealth  behind".  So  he 
decided  to  bequeath  it  to  only  those  who  were 
sufficiently  strong  and  willing  to  continue  his 
policy  of  crushing  the  weak  and  incidentally  erect 
some  monuments  to  his  own  memory.  After 
much  consideration  as  to  how  the  strong  would 
derive  the  most  benefit  from  his  ill-gotten  goods, 
he  concluded  that  the  weak-minded  and  sickly 
creatures  who  were  bred  from  the  system  he 
abetted  and  the  over-worked  and  under-fed  laborer 
would  have  no  opportunity  to  read  books,  so  he 
established  hundreds  of  Moundbuilder  libraries 
and  Moundbuilder  universities  in  all  parts  of  the 
world.  To  those  who  were  already  strong  enough 
to  reach  a  position  where  they  could  enter  a  uni- 
versity and  did  not  really  need  his  aid,  the  idea 
was  a  grand  one,  as  it  would  help  to  increase  their 
strength,  thereby  making  it  much  easier  for  them 
to  confiscate  what  the  weaklings  could  produce  in 
the  future.  Thus  the  plan  to  make  the  strong 
stronger,  the  weak  weaker,  and  Moundbuilder 
immortal,  would  be  perpetuated.  But  the  cherished 
hopes  of  Mr.  Moundbuilder  in  this  respect  will 
never  be  realized,  for  the  day  is  not  far  distant 
when  these  mortals  will  be  able  to  reason  and  then 
he  will  be  recognized  simply  as  a  vain-glorious 
old  humbug. 

Another  celebrated  American  who  was  classed 


Born  Again  59 

among  the  great  men  of  the  day  was  a  certain  Mr. 
Porkpacker.  This  individual  conducted  an  estab- 
lishment where  thousands  of  animals,  bred  for  the 
purpose,  were  slaughtered  daily.  He  had  accumu- 
lated millions  of  blood-stained  dollars  in  this  way, 
and  was  generally  conceded  to  be  a  man  of  great 
business  ability.  He  was  pointed  out  to  the  rising 
generation  as  one  of  the  most  successful  men  in  the 
country  whose  example  should  be  followed.  Just 
pause  a  moment  and  think  of  it.  Here  was  a  man 
who  directed  a  business  where  thousands  of  living 
things  were  murdered  daily,  set  forth  as  a  good 
example  to  follow  just  because  he  had  secured  mil- 
lions of  dollars  by  the  operation.  Oh,  ye  mortals! 
Man  considers  the  wolf  a  blood-thirsty  beast  be- 
cause he  kills  and  eats  the  flesh  of  human  beings 
for  subsistence.  What  kind  of  a  bestial  monster 
would  the  wolf  consider  man  if  it  saw  him  in  his 
slaughter-house  killing  thousands  of  innocent  beef, 
sheep  and  hogs  daily  ?  Or  what  would  it  think  of 
civilized  man  if  it  saw  him  shooting  myriads  of 
tame  and  harmless  pigeons  for  amusement,  or  broil- 
ing lobsters  alive  to  satisfy  his  gormandizing  de- 
sires ?  Perhaps  the  wolf  would  set  man  below  its 
grade,  if  interrogated  upon  the  subject.  But  tyran- 
nical man,  intoxicated  by  his  own  egotism  and 
clinging  to  an  elastic  religion  which  allows  him  to 
act  as  he  pleases,  feels  that  his  god  created  all 


60  Born  Again 

these  things  for  his  special  benefit.  If  the  wolf 
could  be  questioned  about  the  matter,  it  too  might 
claim  that  its  god  permitted  the  killing  and  eating 
of  man.  Mr.  Porkpacker  was  considered  both 
great  and  good  by  his  fellow  beings,  for  each  year 
he  gave  thousands  of  dollars  for  the  erection  and 
maintenance  of  the  church  and  likewise  contributed 
largely  toward  his  pastor's  salary.  Would  it  be 
good  policy  then  for  the  pastor  to  believe  that  it 
was  wrong  to  kill  sheep,  when  one  of  the  large 
contributors  was  earning  money  in  that  business? 
No,  no.  So  the  church  upheld  the  slaughter- 
houses and  proved  by  the  scriptures  that  they  were 
simply  doing  what  the  savages  had  done  thousands 
of  years  previously  according  to  divine  right. 

Once  I  listened  to  my  father  preach  a  sermon 
on  the  beautiful  innocence  and  purity  of  the  lamb. 
For  an  hour  he  spoke  feelingly  of  the  many  virtues 
contained  by  this  gentle  little  creature  and  after 
he  was  through  he  immediately  went  home  and 
filled  his  stomach  with  roasted  lamb  for  dinner. 
Good  Christians  are  anxious  to  know  when  the 
time  will  arrive  that  the  lion  and  lamb  will  lie 
down  together  in  peace  and  harmony.  Possibly 
the  lamb  would  like  to  know  if  the  time  will  ever 
come  when  its  carcass  will  not  be  utilized  to  ap- 
pease the  voracious  appetite  of  the  Christian. 

In  looking  over  the  so-called  great  business  men 


Born  Again  61 

and  political  jobbers  of  America  they  certainly 
presented  a  motley  collection  of  physical  and 
mental  monstrosities.  They  spent  so  much  of 
their  time  in  the  mad  rush  for  dollars  and  how  to 
spend  them,  that  physical  and  mental  improve- 
ment received  very  little  attention.  Their  brains 
became  stagnant  for  the  want  of  proper  training 
and  their  bodies  were  allowed  to  rot  and  become 
useless  for  the  need  of  exercise.  Some  were  so  fat 
they  could  not  walk,  while  others  were  too  lean  to 
stand.  A  great  many  of  them  used  either  canes 
or  crutches  as  an  aid  to  hobble  along  or  vehicles 
to  convey  them  from  place  to  place.  Nearly  all 
were  cripples,  more  or  less,  rheumatism,  gout, 
paralysis  and  numerous  other  ailments  being  the 
cause  of  their  helplessness.  Few  of  them  seemed 
able  to  understand  that  all  these  infirmities  were 
directly  caused  by  the  want  of  proper  exercise  and 
from  the  gluttonous  habit  of  overloading  their 
stomachs  with  foods  of  many  kinds  and  meat 
especially.  Apparently  it  was  beyond  their  com- 
prehension that  nature  commanded  them  to 
improve  their  physiques  for  the  benefit  of  coming 
generations.  Men  who  professed  to  be  athletes 
when  they  were  passed  the  age  of  thirty  were  con- 
sidered childish,  while  the  exponents  of  physical 
culture  were  generally  looked  upon  as  cranks. 
Eating,  drinking  and  smoking  were  adapted  as  the 


62  Born  Again 

best  modes  of  recreation,  while  fishing  and  shooting 
pigeons,  quail,  squirrels  and  other  harmless  living 
things  were  regarded  as  good,  healthy  amusements. 
Of  all  the  brutal  methods  of  diversion  ever  adopted 
by  man,  fishing  is  perhaps  the  most  cruel.  If  the 
reader  does  not  think  so,  just  stop  for  a  moment 
and  imagine  yourself  being  hooked  to  a  great  line 
by  the  mouth  and  your  body  being  drawn  far  up 
into  space  and  into  another  atmosphere,  there  to 
strangle  slowly  to  death.  You  would  not  like  it, 
would  you  ?  Then  why  should  the  fish  be  treated 
so  ?  Do  you  not  suppose  that  the  fish  have  feel- 
ings like  yourself?  Oh,  if  all  my  fellowmen  could 
only  have  taken  that  trip  around  the  world  with 
Arietta  and  seen  things  as  I  saw  them,  cruelty  in 
all  its  various  forms  would  be  a  thing  of  the  past. 
That  trip  and  my  subsequent  experience  with  her 
proved  to  be  the  best  education  I  could  have 
received  from  any  source.  It  taught  me  the  real 
meaning  of  the  word  kindness,  without  which,  not 
only  toward  human  beings,  but  toward  all  living 
things,  man  will  never  rise  above  the  savage  state. 


CHAPTER  X 

We  were  just  twenty-four  hours  making  our 
journey  around  the  world,  when  suddenly  I  found 
myself  once  more  gazing  into  the  beautiful  eyes  of 
Arietta.  While  she  bestowed  a  kindly  look  of 
sympathy  toward  me,  her  features  plainly  showed 
that  her  gentle  nature  had  received  an  awful 
shock  from  the  terrible  and  degrading  sights  we 
had  witnessed.  And  there  was  much  reason  why 
this  pure  and  lovable  woman  should  be  shocked  at 
what  we  had  seen,  for  even  I,  a  worthless  and 
hardened  vagabond,  had  become  thoroughly  dis- 
gusted with  my  own  species. 

"  And  what  do  you  think  of  your  highly  civil- 
ized people  now  ?  "  she  inquired  sadly.  "  They  are 
a  race  of  tail-less  monkeys  and  filthy  beasts  with 
myself  included,"  responded  I  with  vehemence, 
and  then  I  began  a  tirade  of  abuse  against  the  en- 
tire human  family. 

"  Stop,"  exclaimed  Arietta,  "  you  must  not  allow 
malice  to  enter  your  mind  against  any  living  thing 
no  matter  how  beastly  or  brutal  it  may  be.  Hatred 
will  not  make  the  world  better ;  it  needs  love. 
No  living  thing  is  responsible  for  what  it  is  any 

63 


64  Born  Again 

more  than  you  or  I  are  accountable  for  being  in 
existence.  But  while  each  individual  inherits  the 
good  or  bad  instincts  of  its  predecessor,  still  it  has 
the  power  to  make  better  or  worse  its  own  condi- 
tion. Love  will  not  only  make  better  your  own 
condition,  but  that  of  your  fellow  beings  as  well. 
Do  not  expect  to  find  in  others  that  which  you  do 
not  possess  yourself.  It  is  your  duty  to  set  a  good 
example,  not  wait  for  others  to  accomplish  what  you 
have  not  done  yourself.  So  begin  right  now  with 
love.  Cast  away  all  unkind  thoughts  and  never 
allow  another  to  enter  your  mind  no  matter  what  the 
provocation  might  be.  I  admit  that  the  Apeman 
of  today  is  no  better,  in  fact,  in  many  respects  is 
much  inferior  to  the  Apeman  who  lived  over  four 
thousand  years  ago,  but  that  is  because  he  took  the 
wrong  road  in  trying  to  reach  real  manhood.  He 
is  still  on  the  wrong  path,  but  must  be  turned  about 
and  started  in  the  right  direction.  He  must  be 
taught  that  Heaven  is  here  on  earth,  if  he  will  only 
make  it  so.  But  the  earth  will  never  be  a  paradise, 
so  long  as  he  allows  a  grain  of  selfishness  to  remain 
in  his  system.  In  yonder  picture  you  can  see 
what  real  men  were  like.  Study  their  counten- 
ances carefully  and  see  if  you  can  read  that  any 
one  of  them  ever  committed  a  selfish  act  or  even 
permitted  an  unkind  thought  to  enter  his  mind, 
for  if  he  had,  you  could  plainly  read  it  from  his 


Born  Again  65 

features,  the  face  being  the  mirror  of  our  thoughts 
and  actions,  and  no  matter  what  we  do  or  what  we 
think  from  the  time  we  are  born  until  we  die, 
every  act  and  thought  is  indelibly  stamped  upon 
our  faces  and  can  never  be  erased  until  the 
material  of  which  we  are  composed  has  disinte- 
grated and  re-entered  the  great  chemical  basin  from 
which  all  living  things  receive  their  matter  and 
energy.  And  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  with  each 
turn  of  the  chemical  wheel  the  succeeding  genera- 
tion will  be  re-moulded  on  a  better  scale,  until  the 
Apeman  and  all  other  animals  have  passed 
through  a  successful  course  of  evolution  and  finally 
emerge  into  real  manhood  —  the  highest  type  of 
earthly  beings.  This  goal  is  but  a  few  steps  and 
within  the  power  of  the  Apeman  to  reach,  but  he 
must  take  his  steps  in  the  right  direction.  A 
whole  nation  of  those  magnificent  beings  you  see 
in  the  picture,  once  existed  in  real  life.  Their 
ancestors  were  Apemen  who  were  started  in  the 
right  path,  and  after  persistently  sticking  to  the 
upward  march  of  unselfish  progress  for  many 
generations,  ultimately  reached  the  class  of  men 
you  see  before  you ;  giants,  physically,  mentally 
and  morally."  And  here  she  paused  and  looked 
long  and  affectionately  at  those  wonderful  figures 
in  the  painting.  Then  a  feeling  of  intense  jeal- 
ousy suddenly  crept  into  my  brain,  and  I  thought 


66  Born  Again 

I  would  surely  go  mad  under  its  terrible  pres- 
sure. Arietta  was  in  love  with  one  of  those  real 
men,  while  she  held  merely  a  compassionate  feel- 
ing for  me. 

I,  the  Apeman,  standing  six  feet  two  inches  in 
height  and  weighing  over  two  hundred  pounds 
avoirdupois,  heretofore  regarded  as  a  marvel  in 
physical  development,  now,  in  the  presence  of 
these  eight-foot  giants  felt  like  a  shrunken  pigmy. 
Formerly  it  was  generally  conceded  that  I  was  a 
rather  handsome  fellow.  This  woman  thought  I 
was  hideous.  Previously,  I  had  felt  proud  of  my 
nicely  curled  heavy  hlack  mustache,  now  I  thought 
it  made  me  look  like  a  monkey.  The  splendid 
features  of  the  real  men  were  not  disfigured  by  a 
hair  or  blemish  of  any  kind,  while  their  skin  was 
as  soft  and  smooth  as  that  of  a  new  born  child. 
During  my  trip  around  the  world,  I  had  observed 
that  the  more  man's  body  was  covered  by  hair,  the 
more  ape-like  he  appeared,  especially  when  deco- 
rating his  face  with  it,  and  I  was  certain  that  my 
appearance  was  just  as  ludicrous  in  the  eyes  of  Ar- 
ietta as  those  I  had  seen.  Therefore  my  admiration 
for  the  stately  objects  portrayed  in  the  picture  was 
beginning  to  turn  into  hatred.  I  inwardly  wished 
they  were  alive  that  I  might  have  an  opportunity 
to  combat  with  one  or  all  of  them  in  order  to  show 
Arietta  that  I  possessed  the  courage  to  fight  until 


Born  Again  67 

death  for  her  love.  While  lost  in  the  midst  of 
such  reflections  Arietta  turned  her  gaze  upon  me 
fixedly  and  said  :  "  What  barbaric  thoughts  have 
you  permitted  to  enter  your  mind  now ? "  "I  was 
wishing,"  replied  I  rather  sullenly,  "that  the  man 
you  love  in  that  picture  was  alive,  that  I  might 
have  the  chance  to  demonstrate  my  worth  in  a 
fight  to  secure  your  favor;  perhaps,  then,  you 
would  discover  that  I  had  some  good  qualities." 

"And  do  you  suppose  if  I  saw  you  fighting  like 
a  savage  bulldog  that  I  would  admire  those  brutish 
tendencies  in  your  nature?"  inquired  she.  "Do 
you  think  that  the  animal  instincts  of  fighting  and 
killing  are  good  qualities  to  possess?  Has  your 
trip  around  the  world  borne  no  good  results? 
You  have  observed  that  your  own  species,  like 
other  savage  beasts,  quarrel,  fight,  maim  and  kill 
each  other  through  selfish  motives,  and  you  have 
condemned  them  for  it ;  now  you  would  continue  to 
do  the  very  same  thing  yourself  and  think  that  I 
would  consider  it  courageous.  According  to  one 
of  our  primitive  laws,  the  courageous  man  was  he 
who  feared  no  one  and  caused  no  one  to  fear  him. 
These  men  of  the  picture  were  the  bravest  of  the 
brave,  and  still  if  one  of  them  were  alive  today  he 
would  not  fight  with  you  no  matter  how  much  you 
might  ill  use  him,  for  he  would  know  that  it  re- 
quired more  real  strength  to  take  abuse  than  to 


68  Born  Again 

give  it.  He  would  suffer  more  pain  if  he  hurt  you 
than  if  you  injured  him.  And  still  he  could  have 
crushed  you  with  greater  ease  than  a  cat  can  a 
mouse,  if  he  were  cowardly  enough  to  do  it.  That 
is  the  real  courage  of  unselfishness — the  kind  your 
species  cannot  understand.  Your  fellow  beings 
applaud  cowardice  which  they  mistake  for  strength 
of  character.  They  seem  unable  to  comprehend 
that  it  requires  far  more  courage  to  suffer  pain 
than  to  inflict  it  upon  others.  They  have  in- 
herited their  erroneous  ideas  from  the  wild  beasts 
who  preceded  them,  and  at  the  present  time  few  of 
them  know  any  better.  But  they  must  be  taught 
differently  and  the  teachers  must  set  the  examples, 
not  merely  offer  advice.  The  different  countries 
of  the  world  today  support  large  armies  of 
licensed  murderers  who  are  commonly  called  sol- 
diers. They  are  sent  to  the  battle-fields  to 
slaughter  each  other  for  selfish  purposes.  The 
strongest  side  is  naturally  victorious,  and  after  kill- 
ing as  many  of  their  adversaries  as  possible,  return 
home  to  receive  the  applause  and  admiration  of 
their  countrymen.  They  are  considered  heroic 
because  they  were  successful  in  slaying  their 
weaker  opponents.  Your  society  worships  these 
human  butchers  and  the  more  lives  one  of  them 
has  destroyed  the  bigger  the  monument  erected  in 
his  honor.  How  many  of  these  butchers  would 


Born  Again  69 

have  the  courage  to  take  an  insult  from  a  weaker 
party  without  resenting  it?  It  requires  great 
bravery  for  the  strong  to  refrain  from  taking  ad- 
vantage of  the  weak  ;  it  demands  real  heroism  for 
the  strong  to  equally  share  the  results  of  their 
labors  with  the  feeble.  For  the  strong  are  doubly 
blessed  in  having  strength  while  the  weak  are  un- 
fortunate and  need  sympathy." 

"  Would  it  not  be  courageous  for  one  person  to 
die  for  the  love  of  another?  "  inquired  I. 

"That  would  depend  altogether  upon  the  cir- 
cumstances," replied  Arietta.  "  It  would  require 
far  more  courage  to  sacrifice  your  life  for  one  you 
did  not  love  as  there  would  then  be  no  selfish 
motive  behind  it.  As  I  understand  your  feelings, 
you  love  me  and  imagine  that  you  would  not  care 
to  live  without  me.v 

"Yes,"  said  I  fervently,  "I  shall  take  my  own 
life  sooner  than  leave  you." 

"  That  is  not  courage  at  all,  it  is  simply  cow- 
ardice," answered  she.  "  Through  your  own  sel- 
fishness in  trying  to  obtain  something  beyond  your 
reach,  you  lack  the  strength  to  live  without  it.  It 
takes  far  more  courage  to  live  when  you  want  to 
die  than  to  die  when  you  want  to  live.  Unselfish- 
ness is  the  very  highest  type  of  courageousness  and 
one  must  live  for  the  good  he  may  do  the  world 
instead  of  his  own  personal  aggrandizement. 


70  Born  Again 

Thousands  of  our  noble  men  sacrificed  their  lives 
yearly  for  the  good  of  the  world.  Our  laws  per- 
mitted a  certain  number  of  them  to  leave  their 
heavenly  country  periodically  to  go  among  the 
savage  nations  and  tribes  of  Apemen,  and  try  and 
teach  these  barbarians  the  meaning  of  unselfish 
love.  They  never  returned.  They  fully  realized 
before  starting  on  these  missionary  trips,  that  they 
were  depriving  themselves  of  all  the  luxuries  the 
earth  provided  for  a  life  of  hardship  and  suffering ; 
a  life  of  insults  and  all  the  cruel  tortures  the  fero- 
cious Apemen  could  inflict  upon  them.  But  it 
pleased  them  to  know  that  they  possessed  the  cour- 
age to  withstand  all  the  insults  heaped  upon  them, 
while  trying  to  alleviate  the  conditions  of  others. 
Unlike  your  present  missionaries  they  did  not  go 
into  different  countries  backed  up  by  loaded  guns 
ready  to  annihilate  all  who  did  not  believe  their 
doctrines.  If  you  hit  a  man  on'  the  head  with  a 
club  and  then  tell  him  that  you  love  him  he  will 
not  believe  you.  They  understood  that  to  teach 
the  Apemen  to  love  one  another  they  must  set 
themselves  up  as  examples,  not  with  mere  words, 
but  by  unselfish  and  courageous  acts.  They  also 
knew  that  they  had  no  divine  right  to  enter  an- 
other country  and  force  upon  the  inhabitants  their 
laws  and  customs.  They  merely  went  to  teach 
their  methods  and  in  trying  to  do  good  for  others 


Born  Again  71 

were  willing  to  accept  insults  in  return  for  their 
kindness  in  order  to  prove  their  sincerity  of 
purpose. 

"  At  first,  these  good  men  were  looked  upon  as 
gods  by  the  Apemen  who  wished  to  worship  them 
as  such,  and  had  they  been  vain-glorious  like  the 
Apeman  himself,  they  would  have  allowed  this 
false  idea  to  exist.  But  no,  there  was  not  a  grain 
of  vanity  or  selfishness  in  their  systems.  They 
had  not  left  their  homes  and  friends  to  be  wor- 
shiped, but  had  gone  away  to  show  the  Apeman 
how  he  might  reach  real  manhood,  if  he  would  but 
follow  their  instructions.  They  taught  the  eradi- 
cation of  selfishness  from  all  living  beings  and  the 
abolition  of  the  system  of  individual  accumulation, 
practiced  then  and  now  by  all  of  your  species. 
Of  course  vaen  the  rich  and  religious  rulers  of 
the  different  tribes  and  nations  learned  that  these 
men  were  teaching  that  all  living  beings  should 
have  an  equal  chance  in  life,  and  that  the  weak 
should  enjoy  the  same  luxuries  as  the  strong,  and 
that  their  divine  right  laws  were  unjust,  they 
became  wroth  and  ordered  our  men  to  be  put  to 
death  by  the  most  cruel  methods.  Some  were  burned 
at  the  stake ;  others  were  buried  alive ;  several 
were  put  into  dungeons  and  their  bodies  allowed 
to  rot ;  many  were  cast  into  fiery  furnaces,  while 
a  number  of  them  were  thrown  into  dens  contain- 


72  Born  Again 

ing  lions  and  tigers.  All  these  tortures  and 
innumerable  others,  did  these  brave  men  suffer 
that  they  might  impress  upon  the  Apeman  the 
real  meaning  of  courage  and  unselfishness.  And 
through  the  power  of  mind  sight  we  used  to  see 
these  heroic  volunteers  unflinchingly  suffer  these 
indignities  for  the  cause  of  righteousness,  notwith- 
standing we  had  the  power  to  annihilate  the  entire 
Apeman  species,  if  we  had  so  desired.  Our  chem- 
ists could  have  turned  on  currents  of  poisonous  air 
and  asphyxiated  whole  nations  of  them  at  once; 
our  electricians  could  have  sent  an  electric  shock 
around  the  earth  that  would  have  left  a  path  of 
destruction  a  thousand  miles  in  width ;  our 
scientists  could  have  concentrated  the  full  force 
of  the  sun's  rays  upon  any  particular  city  they 
might  choose  and  burn  it  up  instantly ;  but  they 
did  not.  We  had  the  power  to  destroy,  but  the 
courage  of  forbearance.  The  highest  honor  our 
nation  could  bestow  upon  a  man  was  to  allow  him 
to  leave  his  heavenly  country  and  become  a 
martyr  to  his  own  unselfishness  in  trying  to  uplift 
the  Apeman  species.  And  had  it  not  been  for  the 
unfortunate  catastrophe  which  I  shall  explain  to 
you  later,  our  plans  would  have  succeeded  and 
the  earth  today  would  have  been  heaven  with  no 
such  creature  in  existence  as  the  Apeman." 


CHAPTER  XI 

"  Next  to  selfishness,  religion  has  been  the 
greatest  drawback  towards  progress  the  Apeman 
has  had  to  contend  with  in  all  ages,"  continued 
Arietta. 

"  Religion  is  the  outgrowth  of  ignorance  and 
the  Apeman,  just  starting  up  the  ladder  of  human 
knowledge,  adopted  it  as  an  explanation  of  things 
of  which  he  knew  nothing.  All  religions  were 
created  by  the  Apeman ;  and  wherein  lies  the  dif- 
ference between  the  god  built  of  stone  or  from  the 
imagination  ?  In  constructing  the  numberless  re- 
ligions, the  Apeman  invariably  made  them  to  suit 
his  own  habits  and  customs.  He  built  his  gods  to 
please  his  own  fancy  and  gave  his  own  ideas  as 
those  of  his  deities.  His  own  knowledge  is  like- 
wise the  extent  of  the  wisdom  contained  by  his 
gods,  whom  he  manufactured  to  be  twisted  and 
turned  in  any  direction  and  made  to  answer  any 
purpose  he  might  see  fit.  No  one  religion  is  any 
worse  than  all  the  rest.  They  are  all  founded  on 
ignorance,  superstition  and  selfishness.  To  believe 
in  any  of  these  petty  religions  is  to  cast  insults 
upon  the  real  Creator  of  the  universe,  for  a  god 

73 


74  Born  Again 

created  by  the  Apeman  must  naturally  be  a  very 
inferior  being.  Each  devout  worshiper  can  point 
out  the  errors  and  absurdities  of  every  other 
religion  excepting  his  own.  He  is  capable  of 
utilizing  his  reasoning  powers  until  directed 
against  himself,  and  narrowed  down  to  a  few 
words  he  feels  that  he  is  all  right  but  everybody 
else  is  all  wrong.  Of  the  several  hundred  relig- 
ions now  extant,  would  it  not  be  more  reasonable 
to  suppose  that  they  were  all  wrong  than  to  believe 
they  were  all  right  ?  Take  your  own  religion  for 
instance ;  you  are  worshiping  a  most  unnatural  god. 
In  fact  your  Bible  puts  him  in  the  position  of  a 
vain-glorious  tyrant.  According  to  the  Bible  an 
Apeman  can  be  no  worse  than  his  god  no  matter 
how  bad  he  may  be.  The  main  reason  why  the 
Apeman  believes  in  religion  is  because  he  is  an 
inveterate  coward  and  fears  some  dire  punishment 
if  he  investigates  the  matter.  But  believe  me,  if 
the  Creator  gave  you  the  power  to  reason,  he  cer- 
tainly will  not  condemn  you  for  making  use  of 
your  reasoning  faculties  in  not  accepting  opinions 
which  appear  untenable.  So  let  us  look  into  this 
matter  from  an  impartial  point  of  view.  In  the 
first  place  the  offer  of  rewards  for  doing  good, 
which  is  the  foundation  of  all  religions  is  wrong, 
for  it  carries  selfishness  right  to  the  very  gates  of 
the  imaginary  heavens.  Goodness  is  very  shallow 


Born  Again  75 

indeed  if  it  cannot  exist  without  rewards  being 
offered  for  it.  I  shall  enumerate  a  few  things 
your  god  was  supposed  to  have  said  or  allowed, 
according  to  the  Bible,  which  would  make  no  Ape- 
man  living,  any  worse  in  his  moral  conduct. 

"Enmity. — 'And  I  will  put  enmity  between  thee 
and  the  woman.'  Gen.  iii,  15. 

"  Unkind-ness. — '  Unto  the  woman  He  said,  I  will 
greatly  multiply  thy  sorrow.'  Gen.  iii,  16. 

"Flesh  Eaters. — '  Every  moving  thing  that  liveth 
shall  be  meat  for  you.'  Gen.  ix,  3. 

"Revenge. — 'Whoso  sheddeth  man's  blood,  by 
man  shall  his  blood  be  shed.'  Gen.  ix,  6. 

"Drunkenness. — 'And  he  drank  of  the  wine,  and 
was  drunken.'  Gen.  ix,  21. 

"Partiality. — '  God  shall  enlarge  Japheth,  and 
he  shall  dwell  in  the  tents  of  Shem  ;  and  Canaan 
shall  be  his  servant.'  Gen.  ix,  27. 

"Hunting. — '  He  was  a  mighty  hunter  before  the 
Lord.'  Gen.  x,  9. 

"A  curser. — 'And  I  will  bless  them  that  bless 
thee,  and  curse  them  that  curseth  thee.'  Gen.  xii,  3. 

"fraud. — By  fraud,  Jacob  received  the  blessing 
intended  for  Esau  and  then  God  blessed  him  and 
made  him  prosperous  forever  afterward.  Gen. 
xxvii  to  xxix. 

"Fornication. — 'And  Bilhah,  Rachel's  maid, 
conceived  again  and  bare  Jacob  a  second  son.' 
Gen.  xxx,  7. 


76  Born  Again 

"Anger. — *  And  the  anger  of  the  Lord  was 
kindled  against  Moses.'  Exodus  iv,  14. 

"Thievery. — '  Speak  now  into  the  ears  of  the  peo- 
ple and  let  every  man  borrow  of  his  neighbor  and 
every  woman  of  her  neighbor  jewels  of  silver  and 
jewels  of  gold.'  Exodus  xi,  2. 

"Carnage. — '  For  I  will  pass  through  the  land  of 
Egypt  this  night  and  will  smite  all  the  first  born 
in  the  land  of  Egypt,  both  man  and  beast ;  and 
against  all  the  gods  of  Egypt  I  will  execute  judg- 
ment; I  am  the  Lord.'  Exodus  xii,  12. 

"Jealousy. — 'For  I  the  Lord  thy  God  am  a 
jealous  God.'  Exodus  xx,  5. 

"Slavery. — 'Then  his  master  shall  bring  him 
unto  the  judges;  he  shall  also  bring  him  to  the 
door,  or  unto  the  doorpost,  and  his  master  shall  bore 
his  ear  through  with  an  awl ;  and  he  shall  serve 
him  forever.'  Exodus  xxi,  6. 

"  Witchcraft. — '  Thou  shalt  not  suffer  a  witch  to 
live.'  Exodus  xxii,  18. 

"Murder. — 'And  my  wrath  shall  wax  hot,  and 
I  will  kill  you  with  my  sword  and  your  wives  shall 
be  widows  and  your  children  fatherless.'  Exodus 
xxii,  24. 

"Changeability. — 'And  the  Lord  spake  unto 
Moses,  saying,  Phinehas,  the  son  of  Eleazar,  the 
son  of  Aaron  the  priest,  hath  turned  my  wrath 
away  from  the  children  of  Israel,  while  he  was 


Born  Again  77 

zealous  for  my  sake  among  them,  that  I  consumed 
not  the  children  of  Israel  in  my  jealousy.'  Num- 
bers xxv,  10,  11. 

"Brutality. — 'And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses, 
saying,  Bring  forth  him  that  hath  cursed  without 
the  camp ;  and  let  all  that  heard  him  lay  their 
hands  upon  his  head,  and  let  all  the  congregation 
stone  him.'  Leviticus  xxiv,  13,  14. 

"Savage  Cruelty. — 'And  if  the  burnt  sacrifice  for 
his  offering  to  the  Lord  be  of  fowls,  then  he  shall 
bring  his  offering  of  turtle  doves,  or  of  young 
pigeons.  And  the  priest  shall  bring  it  unto  the 
altar,  and  wring  off  its  head,  and  burn  it  on  the 
altar;  and  the  blood  thereof  shall  be  wrung  out 
at  the  sides  of  the  altar.'  Leviticus  i,  14,  15. 

"An  Ass. — 'And  the  Lord  opened  the  mouth  of 
the  ass,  and  she  said  unto  Balaam,  What  have  I 
done  unto  thee  that  thou  hast  smitten  me  these 
three  times  ? '  Numbers  xxii,  28. 

"  I  have  brought  a  few  of  these  absurd  writings 
to  your  attention,"  said  Arietta,  "hoping  that  later 
on  you  will  go  over  them  carefully  and  give  them 
the  same  rational  consideration  you  bestow  upon 
other  subjects.  There  is  one  commendable  feature 
about  your  Bible  however,  and  that  is,  it  shows 
that  once  there  existed  among  your  species  a  noble 
mortal  who  devoted  his  life  trying  to  teach  the 


78  Born  Again 

Apeman  human  kindness  in  somewhat  the  same 
manner  our  men  used  to  do,  with  the  exception  of 
the  supernatural  dogmas.  I  refer  to  Jesus  Christ. 
The  fact  that  the  same  lessons  he  expounded  were 
taught  thousands  of  years  before  he  was  born,  or 
that  he  failed  to  grasp  nature's  beautiful  ideas 
without  confounding  them  with  supernatural  fan- 
cies, does  not  detract  in  any  way  from  his  nobility 
of  purpose  and  his  name  should  be  mentioned  in 
the  future  history  of  the  world  as  one  of  the  great 
benefactors  of  the  human  race.  It  seems  a  pity 
that  his  over-zealous  followers  have  tried  to  place 
him  in  the  light  of  a  deity,  for  in  time  to  come, 
when  your  species  begin  to  reason,  they  might  pos- 
sibly regard  him  as  an  impostor.  This  should  not 
be  the  case  however,  for  although  Christ  no  doubt 
really  believed  in  a  religious  god,  it  is  unjust  to 
believe  that  he  ever  pretended  to  be  anything  more 
than  a  mere  human  being  himself,  or  that  he  knew 
anything  about  the  wonderful  miracles  it  was  sub- 
sequently claimed  he  had  performed. 

"Any  earthly  being,"  said  Arietta,  as  her  face 
fairly  beamed  with  intelligence,  "  whether  it  be  a 
man,  an  Apeman  or  a  monkey,  who  claims  to  be 
related  to  the  Creator  of  the  universe,  or  to  be  His 
prophet,  or  His  specially  appointed  spokesman,  or 
in  any  way  tries  to  lead  others  to  believe  that  he 


Born  Again  79 

possesses  supernatural  powers,  is  either  an  impostor 
or  an  idiot. 

"  When  all  earthly  beings  make  use  of  the  rea- 
soning faculties  nature  endows  them  with,  all 
religions  will  perish  through  the  agency  of  their 
own  untruths." 


CHAPTER  XII 

"  Then  am  I  to  understand  that  your  people 
were  atheists?"  inquired  I  of  Arietta. 

"Not  at  all,"  replied  she,  "we  believed  in  Nat- 
ural Law  but  not  in  religion.  Our  most  intel- 
lectual men  decided  that  by  no  stretch  of  the 
imagination  could  they  build  a  god  for  religious 
purposes  as  great  as  the  Creator  of  the  universe 
must  naturally  be,  and  knowing  that  it  remains 
for  man  himself  to  reach  his  highest  state  of  per- 
fection without  any  supernatural  influence  whatso- 
ever, they  therefore  abolished  all  forms  of  religious 
worship  and  established  a  code  of  ethics  which 
was  termed  Natural  Law. 

"  Religion  teaches  one  to  believe  in  an  unnatural 
god  who  apparently  must  be  ever  ready  to  answer 
anybody's  prayerful  cry  and  act  as  a  general 
servant  to  humanity  by  distributing  good  things 
to  those  who  beg  for  them ;  a  sort  of  a  meddlesome 
god  who  enters  into  all  the  petty  quarrels  of 
human  beings  and  generally  settles  them  in  the 
wrong  way. 

"Natural  Law  teaches  that  there  exists  one 
grand  supreme  ruler  who  guides  the  entire 

80 


Born  Again  81 

machinery  of  the  universe ;  the  Deity  who  created 
the  principle  of  life,  and  one  who  does  not  deviate 
from  His  eternal  and  immutable  laws ;  an  all-wise, 
everlasting  and  unchangeable  being  far  beyond 
the  faintest  conception  the  brain  of  man  has  ever 
been  able  to  formulate.  His  power  unlimited; 
His  laws  supreme ;  His  goodness  incalculable. 

"Natural  Law  explains  that  He  created  the 
principle  from  which  humanity  evolved,  but  that 
it  remains  for  all  living  things  to  make  better  or 
worse  their  own  conditions.  His  laws  may  be 
studied  and  practiced  by  all  human  beings,  but  to 
claim  to  know  the  reasons  of  the  Creator's  actions 
would  be  to  assume  His  wisdom  and  knowledge. 
His  purposes,  therefore,  are  unfathomable. 

"  Natural  Law  sets  forth  that  notwithstanding 
the  earth  is  but  a  mere  speck  in  the  universe,  still, 
it  being  a  part  of  the  vast  machinery  governed  by 
the  Almighty,  there  is  a  reason  for  its  existence 
and  a  work  for  it  to  perform.  Like  other  bodies 
in  space,  it  contains  particles  of  living  matter 
which  are  constantly  passing  through  a  course  of 
development  with  methodical  changes  from  life  to 
death  and  from  death  to  life.  But  while  all  living 
things  live  and  die,  the  material  thereof  is  used 
over  and  over  again  indefinitely.  Human  beings 
are  a  species  of  these  particles.  All  living  things 
are  composed  of  three  parts,  matter,  energy  and 


82  Born  Again 

soul.  The  matter  is  the  machinery;  energy  the 
motion  and  soul  the  engineer.  The  mind  is  that 
part  of  the  machinery  having  power  to  control  its 
movements.  The  soul  is  the  spark  of  life  and  acts 
as  a  moral  guide  to  the  mind.  Soul  and  conscience 
are  synonymous.  The  soul,  always  pure,  is  contin- 
ually striving  to  improve  the  condition  of  the 
mind.  The  mind  alone  is  responsible  for  the  dis- 
position of  the  body  and  the  evils  arising  there- 
from, the  soul  merely  acting  as  its  instructor  for 
good.  If  the  mind  would  consult  and  always  fol- 
low the  advice  of  the  soul  it  would  do  no  wrong. 
It  is  the  mind  which  inherits  evil  instincts  and 
but  for  the  good  influence  of  the  soul,  living  crea- 
tures would  not  exist  in  harmony.  As  the  mind 
hardens  against  righteousness  the  sway  of  the  soul 
is  lessened,  but  as  the  mind  softens  towards  good- 
ness the  soul  increases  its  power.  There  is  a  con- 
tinual struggle  between  the  soul  for  good  and  the 
mind  for  evil,  but  the  soul  will  eventually  gain 
the  ascendancy  and  all  living  things  will  be 
cleansed  of  impurities. 

"  The  body,  including  the  mind,  of  each  living 
thing  dies,  the  material  disintegrates  and  passes 
into  the  composition  of  other  forms.  The  soul 
never  dies;  it  remains  in  one  body  until  its  col- 
lapse and  then  transmigrates  into  another.  The 
soul  of  man  today  may  be  that  of  a  swine  tomor- 


Born  Again  83 

row ;  therefore  he  should  use  the  greatest  kindness 
and  consideration  toward  all  living  things.  There 
is  only  a  certain  quantity  of  matter  upon  earth  to 
be  moulded  together  in  living  forms  and  an  equal 
number  of  souls  to  abide  therein,  so  that  with  the 
increase  of  mankind  there  must  naturally  be  a  de- 
crease in  the  ranks  of  other  animals,  hence  it  re- 
mains the  duty  of  man  to  extend  in  number  and 
quality  his  own  species  until  all  the  material  in 
existence  is  utilized  by  human  beings  of  the  very 
highest  intelligence.  Humanity  however,  will 
never  rise  above  the  savage  state  until  the  barbar- 
ous custom  of  killing  and  eating  other  animals  is 
abolished. 

"  Selfishness  is  the  root  of  all  evil;  eradicate  sel- 
fishness from  humanity  and  the  earth  will  be 
heaven. 

"  Man's  heaven  is  here  on  earth  if  he  is  only 
capable  of  making  it  so,  but  men  cannot  enjoy 
heavenly  blessings  with  hellish  minds,  and  no 
selfish  being  can  properly  enjoy  the  sweets  of  life. 
The  real  essence  and  pleasure  of  life  can  only  be 
extracted  when  mankind  labors  harmoniously 
together  as  a  unit,  instead  of  each  individual 
struggling  separately  and  murderously  to  obtain 
the  largest  portion  of  the  earth's  blessings.  The 
production  of  the  world  must  be  divided  equally 
among  all  honest  toilers  and  man's  greatest  happi- 


84:  Born  Again 

ness  must  arise  from  serving  others  instead  of 
himself.  No  good  mortal  can  thoroughly  enjoy 
luxuries  that  are  beyond  the  reach  of  his  fellow 
men,  therefore  all  human  beings  should  work 
together  as  one;  enjoying  equally  the  fruits  of 
their  combined  efforts ;  the  weak  and  the  strong 
alike.  There  must  be  but  one  master — the  entire 
human  race  bound  together  as  one.  When  man- 
kind, acting  as  a  unit,  masters  itself,  then  will  it 
rule  the  earth  and  gain  knowledge  of  extraneous 
matters ;  thus  the  wisdom  of  inhabitants  of  older 
and  more  advanced  worlds  will  be  attained  and 
intercourse  with  them  practiced,  thereby  unravel- 
ling many  apparent  mysteries  of  the  universe. 

"  It  is  an  error  to  suppose  that  the  Deity  is  your 
maker ;  He  created  the  source  from  which  all  liv- 
ing things  sprung,  but  collectively,  man  makes 
himself  and  is  responsible  for  his  own  conditions. 
If  the  Almighty  was  your  maker  then  the  produc- 
tion of  criminals,  cripples  and  lunatics  would 
demonstrate  very  bad  workmanship,  so  do  not  try 
to  shift  the  blame  for  human  weakness  upon  the 
Creator  of  the  universe.  The  Deity  controls  the 
principle  of  life  ;  man  controls  himself. 

"  Do  not  pray ;  you  cannot  alter  the  Creator's 
plans  and  you  place  him  in  the  light  of  a  petty 
vanity  seeker  when  claiming  He  wants  to  be 
worshiped.  Better  please  the  Omnipotent  by  kind 


Born  Again  85 

acts  toward  all  living  things  than  by  offering 
ridiculous  exhortations  for  favors  and  forgiveness. 
You  proffer  insults  to  the  Creator  when  you  claim 
you  can  change  His  immutable  plans  by  prayer ; 
when  you  think  he  would  take  from  one  to  give 
to  another;  when  you  pretend  to  communicate 
with  Him ;  when  you  imagine  He  takes  part  in 
the  silly  squabbles  of  human  beings ;  when  you 
say  that  man  is  made  in  His  image;  when  you 
take  His  name  in  vain. 

"A  united  world,  with  all  living  things  on  the 
same  plane  of  perfection  and  working  harmoniously 
together  for  the  common  good  is  the  heaven 
humanity  should  strive  to  reach.  It  is  within  the 
power  of  mankind  to  perfect  itself,  but  this  can 
only  be  accomplished  through  the  unselfish  efforts 
of  the  whole  people.  Each  individual  can  make 
better  or  worse  his  own  condition  and  thereby 
stamp  a  good  or  bad  impression  upon  the  lives  of 
his  descendants.  The  creature  who  passes  his  life 
without  adding  to  the  knowledge  and  goodness  of 
the  world  has  lived  for  naught,  and  he  who  fails  to 
improve  his  own  worth  morally,  mentally  or  phys- 
ically has  spent  a  life  of  uselessness  for  which  his 
descendants  must  suffer  ;  for  to  misuse  oneself  is  to 
commit  a  crime  against  posterity.  Each  genera- 
tion should  be  an  improvement  upon  the  preceding 
one.  Having  been  entrusted  with  a  piece  of  living 


86  Born  Again 

machinery,  it  is  the  duty  of  every  one  to  give  it  the 
very  best  care  and  attention  possible,  that  its  value 
might  be  increased  to  nature,  hence  moral,  mental 
and  physical  perfection  are  the  highest  aims  of  life 
to  achieve.  Parents  should  have  no  off-spring 
when  one  or  both  of  them  are  insane,  diseased, 
gluttons,  drunkards  or  criminals. 

"Practice  moderation  in  all  things  that  you  may 
live  longer  and  acquire  strength  to  enjoy  natural 
blessings  and  bestow  character  upon  those  to  fol- 
low. Pleasure  can  only  be  extracted  from  temper- 
ateness ;  it  increases  or  decreases  in  proportion  to 
quantity,  and  he  who  takes  sparingly,  lives  longer 
to  enjoy  the  most.  Do  not  over-work,  over-study, 
over-eat,  over-drink,  over-sleep,  or  commit  any 
excess  whatsoever.  The  surest  way  to  make  the 
world  better  is  to  begin  with  yourself.  Such  is 
the  essence  of  Natural  Law." 


CHAPTER  XIII 

"At  the  present  time,"  proceeded  Arietta,  "  the 
earth  resembles  a  huge  table  over-loaded  with  good 
things  and  surrounded  by  a  pack  of  gluttons  each 
striving  to  secure  the  largest  portion.  And  in 
this  piggish  scramble  the  strong  obtain  more  and 
the  weak  less  than  is  needed  while  enough  is 
wasted  to  amply  supply  the  whole.  The  best 
forces  of  the  participants,  which  should  be  utilized 
for  other  purposes  are  also  lost  in  the  ravenous 
struggle,  for  it  requires  more  energy  to  retain  than 
obtain  these  things. 

"  The  same  avaricious  principle — individual  ac- 
cumulation— is  the  foundation  of  every  government 
in  the  world  today,  and  consequently  all  of  your 
social  systems  are  being  run  upside  down.  Your 
people  spend  their  time  and  energies  in  looking 
for  remedies  instead  of  stopping  the  source  from 
which  all  evils  flow.  Corruption  is  the  result  of 
a  diseased  root  and  as  long  as  that  remains,  iniqui- 
ties will  continue  to  multiply.  Extirpate  the 
cause  however,  and  sin  will  depart  like  magic. 

"The  system  which  allows  the  individual  to 
acquire  personal  wealth  is  the  direct  cause  for 

87 


88  Born  Again 

Dearly  every  evil  in  existence.  There  is  no  rem- 
edy for  a  wrong  unless  you  eradicate  it  entirely, 
and  just  as  long  as  a  nation  clings  to  the  perni- 
cious plan  which  permits  separate  persons  to  store 
up  the  products  of  the  earth  for  private  uses,  just 
so  long  will  selfishness  be  the  characteristic  feature 
of  the  people,  and  all  kinds  of  criminals  will  be 
bred  from  the  material  which  otherwise  would 
prove  very  useful  to  a  unified  world.  According 
to  present  methods  success  is  based  upon  what 
each  individual  accumulates  and  not  what  man- 
kind is  capable  of  producing. 

"The  foundation  of  existence  is  labor,  without 
which  the  inhabitants  of  the  world  would  perish. 
United  exertion  produces  better  results  and  with  less 
toil  than  competitive  efforts.  With  united  labor 
in  force,  every  living  being  must  work,  for  he  who 
consumes  and  does  not  produce  is  a  thief.  If  all 
the  inhabitants  of  the  world  combined  their  labors 
on  the  most  economic  basis,  there  would  be 
enough  luxury  for  all  created  by  one-tenth  of  the 
power  expended  at  the  present  time.  Each  person 
would  add  his  mite  to  the  whole,  and  in  return 
would  receive  as  much  as  anyone  else.  All 
worthless  occupations  would  be  done  away  with, 
and  the  energy  thereof  directed  into  useful 
channels.  Labor  would  rule  the  world  instead 
of  money.  For  of  what  good  would  be  all  the 


Born  Again  89 

money  on  earth  if  there  was  no  labor  to  produce 
the  necessities  of  life?  At  present  there  exists 
but  one  honest  toiler  whose  labors  enrich  the 
world,  to  ten  schemers  who  spend  their  time  plot- 
ting to  secure  the  results  of  his  work ;  and  these 
parasites  actually  confiscate  the  largest  portion 
of  that  which  is  produced.  The  schemers  feast 
and  govern,  while  the  laborers  fast  and  are  gov- 
erned. Can  you  imagine  more  unnatural  condi- 
tions than  one  class  of  beings  producing  all  the 
luxuries  and  receiving  none  in  return  ? 

"With  the  abolition  of  the  noxious  system 
of  individual  accumulation,  money  would  have  no 
value  and  all  the  evils  arising  therefrom  would 
cease.  Take  away  the  opportunity  of  the  indi- 
vidual to  accumulate  wealth  for  himself,  and  you 
remove  the  temptation  for  fraud,  theft  and  num- 
erous other  crimes,  for  there  is  then  no  incentive 
left  for  them.  Expel  the  motive  and  selfishness 
will  disappear,  and  each  mortal  give  his  best 
efforts  toward  perfecting  himself  morally,  mentally 
and  physically  for  the  good  he  may  render  the 
world. 

"  Teach  the  child  that  it  will  not  have  to  worry 
over  the  future ;  that  it  will  not  have  to  lie,  cheat, 
steal,  murder  or  take  any  advantage  of  its  fellow 
beings  in  order  to  receive  its  share  of  the  good 
things  of  life.  Explain  to  it  that  the  real  incen- 


90  Born  Again 

tive  is  to  give  its  best  services  toward  increasing 
the  general  production  of  the  earth,  that  all  man- 
kind may  enjoy  the  sweets  thereof  together  in 
peace  and  harmony.  Impress  upon  its  young 
mind,  that  he  who  works  in  excess  of  others  for 
the  good  of  mankind,  lives  the  noblest  life  and 
receives  the  highest  esteem  of  his  fellow  beings 
and  the  blessed  approbation  of  his  own  soul,  and 
that  child,  reaching  maturity,  will  be  a  thousand 
times  more  useful  to  himself  and  humanity  than 
he  who  has  been  taught  to  hoard  up  riches  for  his 
own  special  purposes. 

"Individual  accumulation  is  responsible  for 
crime ;  crime  necessitates  laws ;  laws  breed  tyranny. 

"Abolish  individualism,  and  crime,  tyranny  and 
nine-tenths  of  your  superfluous  laws  will  be  exter- 
minated. 

"A  few  well-defined  and  just  laws  properly  en- 
forced are  sufficient  to  successfully  operate  the 
governmental  machinery  of  the  human  race  ac- 
cording to  Natural  Law." 


CHAPTER  XIV 

"Telepathy,"  continued  Arietta,  "proved  to  be 
one  of  the  greatest  factors  for  good  utilized  by  our 
people.  Through  its  agency  we  not  only  found 
that  it  was  the  most  natural  and  complete  way  to 
converse  with  one  another,  but  also  learned  to 
think  collectively  as  well  as  singly. 

"  The  brain  is  both  a  receiver  and  transmitter  of 
thought,  and  all  minds  are  directly  connected  with 
each  other  by  an  invisible  force.  Thought  is  an 
element  of  life  and  exists  everywhere;  it  is  not 
originated  by  the  mind,  but  is  a  utility  for  it. 
Thoughts  are  sustenance  for  the  brain,  as  air  is  for 
the  lungs,  or  food  for  the  appetite ;  they  are  good 
and  bad  in  quality,  and  it  is  within  man's  power 
to  accept  or  reject  them  at  will.  By  admitting 
good  and  repelling  bad  thoughts,  the  brain  acquires 
moral  as  well  as  mental  strength  but  vice  versa  it 
is  poisoned,  and  degeneracy  is  sure  to  follow. 

"Nature  created  both  the  mountains  and  the 
thoughts;  look  and  you  can  see  these  lofty  hills; 
think  and  you  can  receive  inspiring  thoughts. 
Shut  your  eyes  and  you  cannot  see;  close  your 
brain  and  you  cannot  think.  The  broader  the 
mind,  the  greater  the  ideas  to  enter.  Ignorance 

91 


92  Born  Again 

is  bred  from  a  closed  brain ;  intelligence  from  an 
open  one.  He  who  is  incapable  of  thinking  is 
like  the  blind  who  cannot  see  or  the  deaf  who 
cannot  hear.  The  thought  is  the  mightiest  force 
for  good  or  evil,  humanity  has  to  contend  with ; 
time  is  measured  by  it  and  pure  meditation  makes 
the  days  short  and  sweet,  while  evil  notions  lengthen 
and  depreciate  them.  The  mind  that  retains  good 
ideas  and  refuses  bad  ones  is  of  incalculable  value 
to  mankind  for  it  has  an  instantaneous  effect  upon 
other  minds  in  all  parts  of  the  earth. 

"It  is  easier  for  many  minds  working  in  har- 
mony together  to  grasp  a  thought,  than  for  the 
single  brain  to  receive  it  without  aid.  No  one 
earthly  being  ever  conceived  a  great  idea  unas- 
sisted. One  might  have  believed  and  proclaimed 
the  origin  of  an  idea,  but  unknown  and  innumerable 
others  secretly  aided  in  its  conception.  Thestrongest 
intellect  however,  retained  and  gave  it  to  the  world, 
and  he  who  accepts,  practices  and  impresses  the 
thought  upon  others,  deserves  the  credit  thereof. 

"  It  took  several  generations  of  continuous  ex- 
perimentation by  the  Sagemen  to  acquire  the 
fundamental  principles  of  telepathy  and  many 
more  to  establish  the  custom  of  conversing  with 
the  mind  instead  of  the  voice.  In  the  beginning, 
the  evil  ones  looked  upon  the  practice  with  horror 
for  it  was  impossible  to  conceal  anything  from 


Born  Again  93 

their  fellow  beings.  But  this  very  fact  alone 
caused  them  to  keep  clean  and  allow  no  impure 
thoughts  to  enter  their  minds  that  would  lower 
them  in  the  estimation  of  their  associates,  and  after 
a  few  generations  of  active  use  it  was  accepted  as 
one  of  the  great  benefits  of  nature. 

"  Whenever  a  great  problem  confronted  the 
nation,  a  hundred  or  more  of  our  deepest  thinkers 
would  simultaneously  concentrate  their  mental 
forces  upon  it,  and  if  unsuccessful  in  reaching  a  sat- 
isfactory conclusion,  then  the  whole  people  would 
devote  an  hour  each  day  upon  it  until  finally  solved. 
Thus  in  thought  as  well  as  action  we  labored  to- 
gether as  a  unit,  harmoniously  working  out  vast 
ideas  that  never  could  have  been  conceived  by  a 
single  brain,  and  each  mortal  receiving  an  equal 
share  of  the  many  blessings  derived  therefrom. 

"And  there  again  is  where  your  individual 
system  retards  naturalprogress.  A  little  Apeman 
receives  part  of  one  of  nature's  ideas.  His  imma- 
ture brain  is  incapable  of  receiving  the  whole  of  it 
so  he  spends  his  entire  life  stumbling  along  in  the 
dark  vainly  searching  for  the  remainder.  Some- 
times he  becomes  insane  or  dies  under  the  strain 
of  the  burden,  and  mankind  loses  the  portion  he 
had  already  understood.  It  was  his  greedy  desire 
that  caused  him  to  struggle  alone  for  something 
that  many  minds  could  easily  have  brought  forth 
had  they  been  called  to  his  assistance.  But  no, 


94  Born  Again 

his  purpose  was  not  to  aid  humanity,  but  get 
money  and  the  power  to  wield  over  his  fellow 
creatures  by  accepting  and  having  patented  for 
himself  one  of  nature's  gifts. 

"And  then  again  one  of  your  little  Apemen 
finally  does  conceive  a  good  idea,  or  part  of  one, 
after  thirty  years,  more  or  less,  of  constant  strain 
upon  his  mental  faculties.  And  so  the  progress  of 
the  world  must  be  held  in  check  for  that  length  of 
time  for  an  invention  that  could  have  been  pro- 
duced and  put  into  useful  operation  by  the  com- 
bined efforts  of  many  minds  in  a  few  days,  weeks 
or  months.  But  it  is  the  individual  system  and 
not  the  individual  himself  which  causes  this  stu- 
pendous waste  of  time  and  energy,  and  as  long  as 
it  is  kept  in  force  the  leakage  of  human  progress 
will  naturally  be  beyond  calculation. 

"It  seems  a  pity,"  said  Arietta,  looking  at  me 
sympathetically,  "  that  your  brain  is  not  sufficiently 
developed  to  enable  you  to  grasp  the  magnificent 
principle  of  life  as  it  was  understood  by  the  Sage- 
men,  but  it  would  be  as  hard  for  you  to  comprehend 
an  attempted  explanation  of  the  whole  subject  as 
it  would  be  for  a  monkey  to  understand  algebra. 
So  I  have  to  be  content  with  impressing  upon  your 
little  intellect  just  as  much  as  it  will  absorb. 

"  But  come,  you  look  tired,  let  us  partake  of 
some  refreshments.  And  remember,  do  not  over- 
load your  stomach." 


CHAPTER  XV 

"Do  not  over-load  your  stomach."  This  admo- 
nition caused  me  to  feel  like  a  child  once  more, 
and  I  was  uncertain  whether  I  ought  to  laugh  or 
become  indignant  over  the  remark.  And  still  I 
fully  realized  the  necessity  of  this  warning ;  not 
only  for  myself  alone,  but  for  the  entire  human 
race  from  which  I  sprung.  How  many  beings 
are  there  in  the  world  today  who  would  not  profit 
by  following  this  advice  ?  How  many  are  there 
with  sense  enough  to  heed  it  ?  I  cannot  recall  to 
memory  any  person  I  have  ever  met  who  had 
absolute  control  of  his  appetite. 

"  We  take  pleasure  in  living,  but  do  not  live  for 
pleasure/'  continued  Arietta,  as  she  touched  an 
invisible  spring  concealed  within  a  dainty  flower 
and  graciously  invited  me  to  eat — or  rather  to 
breathe.  And  as  I  inhaled  the  delicious  fumes  it 
seemed  that  the  very  breath  of  life  itself  was 
injected  into  every  pore  of  my  body. 

"That  is  enough  of  the  soup,"  commented 
Arietta  mirthfully,  "  now  try  the  roast ;  now  the 
entree ;  and  here,  perhaps  a  little  dessert  will  not 

96 


96  Born  Again 

hurt  you ;  there  that  is  plenty ;  a  little  is  strength- 
ening but  too  much  is  poisonous. 

"  You  see,  this  process  of  living  is  very  simple 
indeed;  our  chemists  merely  extracted  the  vital 
parts  of  vegetables,  herbs,  cereals,  fruits,  nuts, 
flowers,  etc.,  and  reduced  them  to  aeriform.  These 
artificial  flowers  are  arranged  to  conceal  small 
tubes  from  which  the  nutriment  flows.  By  oper- 
ating these  automatic  springs  the  substance  is 
allowed  to  escape  in  such  quantities  as  is  required 
for  meals.  Very  simple,  is  it  not  ?  Much  cleaner 
and  better  than  munching  a  piece  of  fat  pork, 
don't  you  think  ?  And  there  are  no  cooks  needed 
to  prepare  it,  no  waiters  to  serve  it,  nor  any  dishes 
to  wash  afterward.  Our  food  was  arranged  ready 
for  consumption  at  the  great  national  laboratories 
and  piped  directly  to  the  people,  to  use  as  they 
pleased." 

"  It  is  all  very  wonderful,"  exclaimed  I,  looking 
up  to  Arietta  as  if  she  were  the  goddess  of  life 
itself,  "  but  there  is  one  thing  in  particular  I  am 
anxious  to  know  and  that  is :  what  causes  daylight 
here  when  darkness  prevails  on  the  outside  of  this 
building?" 

"  Very  simple,"  explained  she,  "  about  a  thou- 
sand years  before  the  great  catastrophe  our  scien- 
tists discovered  a  method  whereby  they  could  store 
up  the  rays  of  the  sun  for  light,  heat  and  power, 


Born  Again  97 

and  after  much  experimenting  they  found  that 
they  could  mix  these  rays  with  other  ingredients 
into  solid  substances.  The  light  you  observed  in 
the  hallway  before  entering  here  is  merely  com- 
pressed into  the  material  of  which  the  walls  are 
composed  and  as  long  as  that  remains  light  will 
shine  from  it.  The  light  in  this  room  comes  from 
the  miniature  sun  you  see  in  the  picture ;  that  too 
will  give  forth  radiance  as  long  as  the  material 
holds  together.  Our  scientists  were  remarkable 
men  ;  they  not  only  made  use  of  the  sun's  rays  in 
many  different  ways  for  the  benefit  of  mankind,  but 
actually  controlled  the  power  of  the  sun  itself  in- 
sofar as  it  related  to  the  earth.  They  also  re- 
strained the  atmosphere  which  surrounds  the  earth 
and  made  the  weather  conditions  to  suit  their  own 
welfare.  But  these  things  are  so  infinitely  beyond 
the  Apeman's  comprehension,  who  feels  that  he 
has  almost  reached  the  limit  of  human  resources 
with  his  crude  little  steam  engines,  that  it  would 
only  be  a  waste  of  time  and  energy  to  try  and  ex- 
plain them  to  you,  besides  being  a  considerable 
strain  upon  your  half-grown  brain." 

"This  is  certainly  a  wonderful  painting,"  said 
I,  looking  about  the  room  with  much  admiration, 
"  I  have  never  seen  anything  to  compare  with  it 
before." 

"  There  is  nothing   about  it  that  is  extraordi- 


98  Born  Again 

nary,"  remarked  Arietta,  "it  is  merely  a  little 
ornamentation  of  my  own  private  apartment  which 
I  did  myself  according  to  my  own  fancy.  Any 
of  our  ordinary  house  decorators  could  have  done 

v 

as  well  or  better.  All  of  our  children  were  taught 
to  paint  and  they  devoted  considerable  of  their 
spare  time  to  the  art,  but  the  works  of  the  real 
artists  were  placed  upon  exhibition  in  the  national 
galleries  where  everybody  could  see  and  enjoy 
their  magnificence." 

"I  observe  an  absence  of  jewelry  about  your 
person,"  mentioned  I,  "was  it  not  the  custom  of 
your  people  to  wear  jewels  ?  " 

"  Do  you  think  that  to  wear  rings  around  your 
toes  and  suspended  from  your  nose  is  a  sensible 
thing  to  do?"  inquired  Arietta. 

"No,  no;  decidedly  not,"  answered  I,  "such 
are  the  customs  of  the  barbarians  only,  but  our 
civilized  people  wear  rings  around  their  fingers 
and  in  their  ears." 

"  Indeed,  and  wherein  lies  the  difference  ?  "  asked 
she  good  naturedly.  It  then  struck  me  rather  for- 
cibly that  there  was  no  difference  and  that  it  was 
just  as  ridiculous  to  wear  xings  from  the  ears  and 
around  the  fingers  as  it  was  to  have  them  sus- 
pended from  the  nose  and  about  the  toes.  "  But 
were  there  no  diamonds  in  your  country  ?  "  ques- 
tioned I. 


Born  Again  99 

"Yes,"  replied  Arietta,  ''there  was  a  large  pile 
of  them  in  the  national  museum  which  we  looked 
upon  as  old  junk — sort  of  relics  of  the  savage 
Apemen.  When  our  children  were  shown  these 
things  and  informed  that  a  king  of  an  Apeman 
nation  would  gladly  sacrifice  the  lives  of  a  hun- 
dred thousand  of  his  subjects  in  an  attempt  to 
gain  possession  of  them,  or  that  his  subjects  would 
murder  their  friends,  brothers,  wives  or  children 
in  an  effort  to  secure  some  for  themselves,  it  was 
impossible  for  their  youthful  minds  to  fully  under- 
stand why  the  Apeman  should  become  so  ferocious 
and  idiotic  over  such  trifles.  They  naturally 
looked  upon  your  species  as  you  would  view  a  tribe 
of  monkeys  fighting  amongst  themselves  for  the 
possession  of  a  string  of  glass  beads.  The  Ape- 
man  like  the  monkey  is  incapable  of  seeing  his 
own  absurdities." 

"And  what  about  gold?"  I  inquired.  "We 
had  a  building  constructed  of  it,"  answered  she. 
"  One  of  the  first  things  the  Sagemen  did  after 
they  abolished  the  system  of  individual  accumula- 
tion was  to  take  all  the  gold  there  was  in  the 
country,  and  mould  it  into  a  huge  edifice  to  be 
used  as  a  national  museum,  and  represent  a  sort 
of  monument  to  a  dead  system." 

"  It  must  have  been  a  magnificent  structure," 
said  I  in  amazement.  "On  the  contrary,"  replied 


100  Born  Again 

Arietta,  "  it  was  the  most  hideous  building  in  our 
land.  As  a  curiosity  it  was  worth  seeing,  but  as 
an  object  of  grandeur  it  was  a  total  failure.  There 
is  more  real  beauty  in  one  of  nature's  tiniest  flowers 
than  there  would  be  in  a  mountain  built  of  gold 
and  studded  with  diamonds,  but  the  little  Apeman 
who  considers  gold  the  standard  of  value  cannot 
understand  this." 

"  When  you  mentioned  the  absurdity  of  wearing 
jewelry,"  said  I,  "it  brought  to  my  attention  the 
fact  that  you  wear  no  shoes  upon  your  feet,  and 
that  your  toes  are  much  longer  and  far  more 
shapely  and  supple  than  is  the  case  nowadays." 

"Yes,"  answered  she,  "that  is  because  we  made 
use  of  our  toes  as  well  as  our  fingers  for  useful 
purposes.  It  appears  to  me  that  the  Apeman  has 
permitted  his  feet  to  grow  into  mere  hoofs  with 
which  to  stump  along  upon,  and  from  what  I 
observed  during  my  excursion  around  the  world, 
your  people  are  even  allowing  their  hoofs  to 
become  worthless,"  and  here  she  smiled  as  she 
recalled  to  mind  some  of  the  gouty,  rheumatic  and 
over-fed  mortals  she  had  seen  during  that  trip. 

As  Arietta  smiled,  her  beautiful  lips  parted  and 
for  the  first  time  I  noticed,  much  to  my  surprise, 
that  she  had  no  teeth.  A  woman  of  our  own  kind 
without  teeth  generally  presents  a  rather  distaste- 
ful appearance,  but  here  was  a  woman  that  I 


Born  Again  101 

thought  actually  looked  a  thousand  times    more 
lovely  without  them. 

"  Well,"  remarked  Arietta,  noting  my  astonish- 
ment, "I  do  not  have  teeth  to  bite  and  chew  with 
like  the  lower  animals.  The  Sageman  shed  his  teeth 
shortly  after  he  discontinued  the  filthy  animal 
habit  of  devouring  flesh  and  other  solid  substances 
for  subsistence,  and  substituted  the  more  scientific, 
cleanly  and  healthful  method  of  inhalation." 


CHAPTER  XVI 

"  Now  we  shall  enjoy  a  little  music,"  said  Ar- 
ietta as  she  turned  her  attention  to  the  pictorial 
orchestra. 

"Music,"  repeated  I,  "then  it  was  real  music  I 
heard  a  short  time  ago  and  not  a  mere  fancy  of 
my  own." 

"  I  was  not  aware  that  you  heard  it  at  all,"  re- 
plied she.  "Yes,"  responded  I,  "  when  first  com- 
ing into  this  room,  the  men  in  the  picture  appeared 
to  me  to  be  alive,  and  wishing  to  attract  their  at- 
tention I  touched  the  shoulder  of  the  leader,  and 
then  it  was  that  I  thought  I  heard  the  sweetest  and 
grandest  music  it  has  ever  been  my  good  fortune 
to  listen  to." 

"Iii  that  case,"  said  Arietta,  "your  ears  did  not 
deceive  you,  for  you  certainly  heard  real  music. 
You  see  in  this  picture,  an  exact  portrayal  of  that 
which  existed  over  four  thousand  years  ago.  This 
delineation  is  an  almost  perfect  representation  of 
one  of  our  national  bands  as  they  once  appeared  in 
life  ready  to  play.  The  music,  of  course,  is  repro- 
duced mechanically,  the  mechanism  being  con- 
cealed from  view  behind  the  scenery.  When  you 

102 


Born  Again  103 

placed  your  hand  upon  the  shoulder  of  the  leader 
you  unconsciously  pressed  the  spring  which  set  the 
machinery  in  motion,  causing  a  reproduction  of  the 
same  strains  once  rendered  by  these  men." 

"  But  this  being  a  painting,  I  cannot  understand 
how  the  figures  moved  as  if  playing  upon  their 
instruments,"  said  I. 

"They  did  not  move  at  all,"  answered  Arietta, 
"  it  was  your  soul  that  brought  to  your  senses  the 
movements  that  once  took  place  among  these  men 
in  real  life.  Music  is  inspired  by  the  soul,  and 
likewise  has  a  direct  influence  upon  it.  No  Sage- 
man  was  considered  an  eminent  composer  if  his 
work  lacked  the  force  to  convey  the  soul  of  the 
listener  to  the  actual  scene  from  whence  the 
inspiration  was  derived.  No  doubt  your  inferior 
brain  was  incapable  of  grasping  the  magnificent 
conception  of  the  author,  but  the  selection  being 
so  enraptu'rous  your  soul  awakened  and  brought 
your  senses  to  the  point  where  you  could  see  the 
movements  of  the  musicians.  Perhaps  the  next 
rendition  may  have  a  stronger  effect  upon  your 
soul  which  will  cause  you  to  get  an  outline  of  what 
was  intended  by  the  composer.  The  composition 
which  the  orchestra  will  now  reproduce  for  your 
benefit  was  considered  by  our  people  to  be  the 
musical  masterpiece  of  all  time.  It  was  named 
'The  Soul's  Retrospection,'  and  was  composed  by 


104  Born  Again 

the  leader  of  this  band  only  a  few  years  prior  to 
the  great  catastrophe."  "Look,"  said  Arietta, 
with  much  feeling  as  she  waved  her  hand  toward 
the  exalted  director,  "take  a  good  look  at  this 
model  of  a  perfect  man  and  you  may  be  able  to 
realize  just  what  qualities  he  had  to  possess  before 
acquiring  the  tremendous  intellectual  strength 
necessary  to  produce  the  wonderful  work  that  will 
shortly  be  impressed  upon  you.  Note  the  extra- 
ordinary look  of  kindness,  gentleness  and  self- 
denial  that  is  stamped  upon  his  handsome  features. 
See  the  expression  of  thankfulness  and  intense 
reverence  he  maintained  for  the  many  splendid 
gifts  nature  bestows  upon  all  mankind  capable 
of  accepting  them.  Observe  the  optimistic  appear- 
ance of  one  that  believed  the  earth  was  real 
heaven  and  who  strived  to  make  it  so.  Notice  the 
cast  of  superior  intellectuality  caused  by  devoting 
his  time  and  energies  to  natural  thoughts,  instead 
of  allowing  supernatural  absurdities  to  take  root 
in  his  expansive  brain.  Behold  the  magnificent 
physique,  the  result  of  the  constant  care  and 
attention  he  gave  to  the  machinery  nature  pro- 
vided him  with.  Ah,  me!  such  a  noble  being, 
and  to  think  that  there  is  not  another  piece  of 
flesh  and  blood  on  earth  at  the  present  time  to 
compare  with  him  seems  cruel." 

At  this  point  Arietta  appeared  almost  overcome 


Born  Again  105 

with  sadness  and  emotion  as  she  buried  herself  in 
contemplation  of  a  glorious  past  and  an  unknown 
future.  Great  tears  rolled  from  her  beautiful 
eyes,  and  unconsciously  from  my  own  as  well. 
How  utterly  helpless  I  felt  at  that  moment.  I 
knew  of  no  way  to  cheer  her,  although  I  would 
have  gladly  given  up  my  life  to  do  so.  Aye, 
more  than  that,  my  love  for  her  was  so  strong 
that  in  order  to  make  her  happy,  I  should  have 
welcomed  back  to  life  again,  if  such  a  thing  were 
possible,  any  one  of  those  handsome  fellows  in  the 
picture.  However,  by  a  superb  display  of  will 
power,  she  quickly  regained  control  of  herself,  and 
becoming  cheerful  once  more  bade  me  recline  upon 
one  of  the  lounges  while  she  pressed  the  spring 
which  set  the  musical  apparatus  in  motion. 

And  as  I  followed  her  directions,  there  suddenly 
burst  forth  the  voluminous  and  harmonious  sound 
of  a  hundred  strange  instruments,  causing  an 
indescribable  thrill  of  ecstasy  to  take  possession 
of  my  senses,  until  ic  seemed  that  there  was  noth- 
ing left  of  me  but  an  invisible  spirit.  And  then, 
even  the  music  apparently  stopped,  and  a  peculiar 
feeling  overcame  me  as  if  my  soul  had  actually  left 
its  charge  and  was  flying  about  in  an  effort  to  find 
a  convenient  resting  place.  Suddenly,  as  if  half 
awake  and  half  dreaming,  I  found  myself  within  a 
luxuriously  furnished  hall,  surrounded  by  a  score 


106  Born  Again 

of  richly-clad  beings,  who  were  bowing,  kneeling, 
and  cutting  up  all  sorts  of  silly  antics  about  me. 
In  a  dreamy  sort  of  a  way,  I  looked  down  at 
myself  and  discovered  that  I  was  arrayed  in  the 
gorgeous  garments  of  a  king,  and  weighted  down 
with  dazzling  jewels  "from  head  to  foot.  Then 
everything  became  clear  enough  to  my  memory ; 
I  was  the  king,  and  these  idiotic  creatures  fawn- 
ing and  cringing  about  me  were  my  obedient  sub- 
jects ;  my  slaves ;  the  willing  tools  which  kept  me 
in  power.  A  gouty  feeling  in  my  feet,  a  dyspeptic 
ache  of  the  stomach  and  an  alcoholic  pain  in  the 
head,  caused  me  to  be  in  a  very  disagreeable  mood, 
and  I  felt  like  kicking  the  entire  gathering  out 
of  my  presence. 

"Sire,"  squeaked  a  knock-kneed, sickly  looking 
individual  about  five  feet  high,  who  wore  knee 
breeches,  silk  stockings  and  fancy  ribbons,  as  he 
bowed  low  in  addressing  me,  "  those  ungrateful 
subjects  of  your  majesty,  the  ignorant  common 
laboring  horde  whom  God  in  His  infinite  wisdom 
has  entrusted  to  your  noble  guidance,  have  become 
dissatisfied  and  turbulent  again,  and  are  disturbing 
the  peaceful  prosperity  of  the  domain  by  clamor- 
ing for  bread — more  bread  and  less  toil  is  their 
beastly  cry.  A  delegation  of  their  representatives 
requested  me  to  beg  your  majesty  to  grant  them  an 
audience  that  they  might  state  their  imaginary 
grievances  to  you  in  person." 


Born  Again  107 

"  More  bread  and  less  toil,"  shouted  I  furiously, 
"the  audacity  of  the  vermin!  By  the  gods!  I 
shall  teach  those  craven  beggars  that  I  am  the 
master  and  will  tolerate  no  new-fangled  ideas. 
Give  orders  to  the  generalissimo  to  have  this  dele- 
gation beheaded  at  once  and  to  put  to  the  sword 
every  dissatisfied  laborer  in  the  land."  As  I 
uttered  these  words  intermingled  with  terrible 
oaths,  and  with  intense  hatred  for  the  wretches  who 
dared  to  complain  against  the  conditions  which 
God,  Himself,  arranged  according  to  His  divine 
purpose,  a  sudden  change  affected  me  and  I  found 
myself  within  a  dark,  filthy  little  room  seated  at 
a  bare  table  with  a  feeling  of  hunger  gnawing  at 
my  stomach.  My  limbs  felt  tired  and  sore  from  a 
hard  day's  toil.  Beside  me  sat  a  thin,  haggard, 
sorrowful  woman  and  several  half-famished  chil- 
dren piteously  crying  for  something  to  eat.  Oh, 
what  a  dismal,  melancholy  feeling.  "  What  is  it," 
mused  I,  observing  my  bony  hands,  crooked  limbs 
and  ragged  clothes,  "  that  causes  my  inability  to 
earn  enough  money  to  supply  bread  for  myself 
and  family,  after  working  fifteen  hours  a  day,  while 
thousands  of  men  in  this  land  do  not  work  at  all 
and  have  luxuries  to  waste?  What  unnatural 
law  governs  the  world  that  starves  myself  and 
family  who  work,  and  over-feeds  the  pet  dog  of 
the  aristocrat,  who  loafs  ?  The  Church  teaches  me 


108  Born  Again 

that  God  rules  the  universe,  and  that  in  order  to 
please  Him  I  must  be  contented  with  my  lot. 
Can  I  believe  this  unreasonable  doctrine  of  the 
Church  ?  Can  I  give  thanks  to  such  a  god?  " 

Another  change,  and  behold,  I  am  clad  in  the 
garments  of  a  hunter,  seated  upon  the  back  of  a 
spirited  horse  and  in  mad  pursuit  of  a  fleet-footed 
antelope.  I  raise  my  rifle  and  blaze  away  at  the 
frightened  beast.  There,  I  have  hit  the  mark  and 
brought  him  down  at  the  first  shot  much  to  my 
delight.  But  lo,  it  is  not  dead  yet ;  see  how  it 
pants  and  struggles  in  desperation,  as  it  tries  to  re- 
gain its  feet.  Now  I  am  right  upon  it,  and 
quickly  dismounting  I  take  hold  of  its  horns, 
draw  a  long  keen  knife  from  its  sheath,  and  with  a 
powerful  stroke  I  almost  sever  the  victim's  head 
from  the  body.  And  as  the  warm  blood  pours 
forth  in  every  direction  and  the  last  sign  of  life 
departs  from  its  shivering  body,  I  view  the  work 
of  destruction  with  the  fiendish  glee  of  a  noble 
sportsman. 

But  hold!  What  causes  me  to  tremble  with 
fear  as  though  some  blood-thirsty  monster  were 
pursuing  me  with  the  intention  of  crushing  out 
my  life's  blood?  Ah,  I  understand.  I  am  the 
four-footed  beast  and  am  running,  running,  run- 
ning as  fast  as  my  weary  limbs  will  carry  me. 
And  such  a  terrified  feeling  overcomes  me  as  I 


Born  Again  109 

look  backward  and  discover  I  am  pursued  by  the 
most  dangerous,  savage  and  cruel  animal  in  exist- 
ence— man.  How  relentlessly  he  dogs  my  foot- 
steps. On,  on,  on  he  comes  until  he  is  right  be- 
hind me  and  there  is  no  chance  to  escape — nor  any 
hope  for  quarter.  At  last  being  brought  to  bay  I 
turn  about  and  decide  to  give  battle  to  my  pursuer. 
But  look !  The  cowardly  savage  will  not  fight 
after  all.  No,  he  will  not  advance  and  fight  fair, 
but  at  a  distance  and  out  of  harm's  way,  he  stops, 
and  pointing  a  weapon  at  me  takes  deliberate  aim, 
there  is  a  loud  report,  a  quick  flash,  and  the  scene 
once  more  changes. 

And  thus  I  transmigrated  from  one  thing  into 
another,  in  a  seemingly  endless  procession  of  lives, 
experiencing  all  the  peculiar  sensations  of  the 
many  bodies  I  temporarily  inhabited.  In  some 
cases  I  was  the  big  strong  brute — either  physically 
or  mentally — taking  advantage  of  the  puny  weak- 
ling. In  others,  I  was  the  miserable  weakling, 
being  crushed  by  the  over-powering  strength  of  the 
bully.  But  whether  strong  or  weak,  either  phys- 
ically or  mentally,  I  was  always  the  moral  coward 
and  selfish  creature,  ready  to  cater  to  those  who 
were  stronger,  and  take  advantage  of  those  who 
were  feebler  than  myself,  until  finally  I  emerged 
into  a  most  extraordinary  being,  utterly  deficient 
in  all  human  weaknesses. 


110  Born  Again 

Master  of  a  physique  absolutely  free  from  all 
imperfections,  and  controlling  a  mind  powerful 
enough  to  grasp  nature's  beautiful  ideas  unadul- 
terated, I  found  myself  seated  upon  a  platform  in 
the  center  of  a  mammoth  theatre  and  surrounded 
by  the  finest  body  of  musicians  the  earth  has  ever 
produced — the  immortal  Sixth  National  Band 
of  Sageland.  Then  I  fully  realized  that  as  leader 
of  this  wonderful  group  I  was  about  to  render  for 
the  first  time,  my  latest  musical  conception  and 
masterpiece — "  The  Soul's  Retrospection  " — which 
would  prove  to  humanity  beyond  a  doubt,  the 
positive  truth  of  one  of  nature's  grandest  secrets — 
the  indestructibility  of  the  soul. 

It  was  generally  believed  that  music  was  the 
direct  inspiration  of  the  soul.  It  was  also  a 
theory,  that  the  soul  was  one  of  the  unchangeable 
atomic  forces  of  nature  whose  duty  it  was  to 
operate  and  purify  different  little  pieces  of  natural 
machinery  known  as  animal  lives;  starting  each 
on  its  brief  career  and  remaining  a  part  thereof 
until  the  mechanism  exhausted  its  energy  and  col- 
lapsed, after  which  it  attached  itself  to  another  bit 
of  animal  matter,  remaining  therewith  until  its 
death,  and  so  on  indefinitely. 

And  now,  after  a  life  of  unswerving  devotion  to 
this  purpose,  I  was  about  to  establish  the  truth  of 
these  theories  by  producing  a  musical  composition 


Born  Again  111 

that  would  cause  the  listener's  soul  to  leave  its  body, 
and  going  backward,  revisit,  as  in  a  dream,  the 
various  animal  forms  it  had  previously  inhabited. 
How  extremely  happy  I  felt  to  think  what  a  great 
blessing  humanity  was  about  to  receive  direct  from 
nature,  through  the  instrumentality  of  myself  and 
the  incalculable  good  that  would  result  therefrom. 
Not  only  would  it  prove  of  vast  scientific  value  to 
my  own  countrymen,  but  also  to  the  millions 
of  ferocious  Apemen  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  who 
could  now  be  made  to  understand  that  no  soul  is 
immune  from  hardship,  misery  and  torture  until 
all  living  things  on  earth  have  reached  the  highest 
stage  of  perfection. 

The  news  that  the  first  production  of  "  The  Soul's 
Retrospection  "  was  about  to  be  given  had  attracted 
great  attention  among  the  Sagemen,  and  I  observed 
that  the  great  National  Auditorium,  which  was 
capable  of  seating  four  hundred  thousand  persons, 
was  crowded  to  its  very  doors,  a  proceeding  I  had 
never  witnessed  before,  notwithstanding  my  com- 
panions and  I  had  appeared  there  many  times 
previously  to  give  musical  performances.  I  also 
noticed  that  the  transmitters  in  all  of  the  domes 
of  the  auditorium  were  open  and  ready  for  use 
and  I  knew  that  my  countrymen  in  every  part 
of  Sagelarid  were  at  their  musical  receivers  ready 
to  obtain  the  instantaneous  results  of  our  efforts. 


112  Born  Again 

All  of  the  celebrated  wise  men  and  great  scientists, 
while  openly  skeptical  concerning  the  claims 
of  my  composition,  showed  their  interest  in  the 
matter  by  being  present  personally  and  appearing 
anxious  for  success  to  crown  my  efforts.  As  my 
eyes  wandered  over  the  great  assemblage  com- 
pletely filling  tiers  upon  tiers  of  seats,  as  far  back 
in  every  direction  as  the  natural  eye  could  reach, 
I  felt  positive  that  there  was  at  least  one  person 
present  who  had  no  doubts  of  successful  results. 
"Ah,  where  is  she?  "  mused  I,  looking  about  for  a 
sign  of  recognition.  "  Here  I  am,"  came  the  quick 
telepathic  response,  and  immediately  my  gaze  fell 
upon  the  loveliest  woman  on  earth — Arietta — 
nature's  companion  to  my  soul.  I  am  utterly 
powerless  to  describe  the  feeling  of  joy  experienced 
as  our  eyes  met  in  mutual  admiration.  Being 
held  momentarily  spellbound  by  her  loving  glance, 
I  fully  recognized  the  fact  that  she  was  the  acme 
of  purity — the  guiding  star  of  my  life.  And  with 
such  a  guide  there  was  no  such  thing  as  fail. 

All  in  readiness,  I  arose  to  my  feet  and  the 
entire  audience  did  likewise,  as  a  token  of  appreci- 
ation for  past  services  rendered.  Acknowledging 
the  honor  and  waiving  them  seated,  without 
further  ado  I  signaled  my  assistants  to  begin. 

Never  did  a  body  of  musicians  commence  a  dif- 
ficult task  with  more  determination  to  create, 


Born  Again 

through  the  medium  of  their  instruments,  an  exact 
interpretation  of  the  author's  purpose.  In  no 
degree  could  they  have  succeeded  more  admirably 
than  on  this  occasion.  Never  was  an  entire 
audience  so  completely  carried  beyond  the  borders 
of  reality  than  now.  From  the  first  until  the  last 
note  not  a  twitch  of  a  muscle  could  be  seen  in  all 
that  mass  of  humanity,  which  now  resembled  a  great 
concourse  of  motionless  statues.  The  musicians 
themselves,  with  their  minds  and  souls  bent  upon 
giving  the  fullest  expression  to  their  grand  work, 
were  the  only  evidence  that  any  life  at  all  remained 
in  the  large  auditorium.  How  bravely  they  stuck 
to  their  laborious  undertaking;  how  beautifully 
they  executed  their  divine  work. 

At  last  the  piece  was  finished,  and  looking  about, 
I  observed  that  the  great  audience  jumped  to  its 
feet  instantly,  and  every  person  present  frantically 
extended  both  hands  above  the  head — a  sign  that 
we  had  been  successful.  Never  before  did  I  see 
my  countrymen  under  such  intense  excitement 
and  jubilation  as  now.  Men  hugged  each  other; 
women  cried  with  joy.  The  world  is  saved,  was 
the  general  exclamation.  Amid  the  great  con- 
fusion that  followed,  I  noticed  Arietta  with  her 
arms  outstretched  toward  me — a  sign  that  she  was 
betrothed  to  me  forever.  Her  beautiful  face  was 
the  picture  of  happiness  and  love.  As  I  descended 


114  Born  Again 

from  the  platform  and  started  forward  to  clasp  her 
in  my  arms  the  entire  audience  seemed  to  vanish 
into  nothingness,  and  my  head  began  to  whirl.  I 
turned  and  looked  backward,  and  to  my  great 
astonishment  and  confusion  beheld  myself  still 
seated  upon  the  platform.  It  seemed  to  me  that  I 
was  divided  into  two  parts.  I  rubbed  my  eyes  in 
amazement  and  looked  again.  There  was  the 
leader  of  the  band  sitting  on  the  platform  motion- 
less and  surrounded  by  his  faithful  helpmates.  I 
looked  in  the  other  direction.  There  was  Arietta 
reclining  upon  the  couch  with  her  lustrous  eyes 
fixed  upon  me.  I  glanced  down  at  myself  and 
found  that  I  was  the  same  old  John  Convert 
dressed  in  sailor's  clothes. 

For  several  moments  I  stood  there  buried  in  the 
depth  of  serious  meditation.  Then  slowly  walking 
over  near  Arietta,  I  stooped  and  resting  upon  one 
foot  and  knee,  I  tenderly  took  her  hand  in  mine 
and  bowed  my  head  in  reverence.  I  understood 
it  all  now. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

"  What  a  wonderful  world  this  is  !  What  writer 
of  fiction  could  draw  upon  his  imagination  for 
anything  to  compare  with  this  extraordinary  freak 
of  nature  ?"  soliloquized  I,  arising  and  taking  a  seat 
opposite  Arietta  and  staring  at  her  in  amazement. 

"There  is  no  such  thing  as  a  freak  of  nature," 
corrected  Arietta,  "the  utmost  reason  prevails  for  all 
of  her  acts ;  but  the  simplest  of  nature's  laws  appears 
complex  and  incomprehensible  to  the  Apeman, 
who  merely  uses  his  brain  as  an  organ  for  self- 
gratification  instead  of  an  instrument  to  grasp 
natural  laws  for  which  purpose  it  is  intended. 
And  therefore,  while  your  famous  Apemen  stunt 
the  growth  of  the  brain  by  misusing  it  for  the  base 
purpose  of  accumulating  individual  wealth,  our 
great  men  utilized  their  brains  to  receive,  understand 
and  operate  the  wise  laws  established  by  nature  for 
the  equal  benefit  and  betterment  of  all  mankind. 
And  therein  lies  the  chief  difference  between  the 
piece  of  human  machinery  your  soul  now  occupies 
and  that  which  it  once  directed  over  four  thousand 
years  ago.  Behold,"  said  she,  dramatically  point- 
ing at  the  director  of  the  band,  "  that  you  were," 

115 


116  Born  Again 

and  then  casting  her  eyes  upon  me,  "that  you 
are.  Does  your  mind  lack  the  strength  to  fully 
appreciate  the  magnificent  lesson  nature  has  forced 
upon  you,  and  which  no  doubt  stands  unparalleled 
in  the  history  of  your  species  ? 

"  Oh,  if  each  little  Apeman  could  only  be  made 
to  understand,  that  the  present  body  is  but  one 
little  instalment  of  the  innumerable  lives  his  soul 
has  to  preside  over,  and  that  the  rich  and  power- 
ful today  may  be  the  weak  and  lowly  tomorrow, 
he  would  begin  at  once  to  treat  all  living  things 
with  equal  kindness  and  sympathy.  If  he  could 
only  realize  that  the  dog  he  kicks,  the  horse  he  mis- 
treats, or  the  poor  mental  or  physical  weakling  he 
takes  advantage  of  might  possibly  be  impelled  by 
the  same  soul  that  moved  the  form  of  his  deceased 
father,  mother,  or  offspring,  his  selfishness  and 
cruelty  would  vanish  forever.  If  he  could  only 
comprehend  that  the  soul  suffers  as  well  as  the 
flesh  it  stimulates,  and  that  it  must  naturally  con- 
tinue to  do  so,  more  or  less,  until  every  particle  of 
living  matter  has  been  cleansed  and  remoulded 
into  the  highest  type  of  earthly  being,  he  would 
strive  to  reach  perfection  himself  and  urge  others 
to  do  likewise.  For  all  terrestrial  life  must  go  up 
or  down  together ;  a  moment  of  selfish  pleasure 
now,  means  an  age  of  suffering  and  torment  in  the 
future.  Such  are  the  immutable  laws  of  nature. 


Born  Again  117 

And  these  laws  must  be  obeyed  before  mankind 
can  climb  the  ladder  of  greatness. 

"  It  sometimes  appears  as  if  Natural  Law  works 
very  slowly  before  reaching  a  given  point,  but 
there  is  always  a  reason  for  every  one  of  its  move- 
ments. While  apparently  incomprehensible,  still 
it  was  in  accordance  with  an  eternal  law,  that  you 
were  sent  back  here  again  after  an  interim  of  over 
four  thousand  years.  My  soul,  which  had  been  held 
a  captive  during  all  that  time,  might  have  remained 
here  for  millions  of  years  had  you  not  come  back 
to  release  it  from  its  peculiar  bondage.  But  you 
did  return,  and  nature  thereby  demonstrated  that 
it  never  forgets  anything,  from  the  workings  of 
the  great  living  things  of  which  the  suns,  moons 
and  planets  are  but  mere  organs,  down  to  the  mi- 
nutest microbe  of  the  microbe.  So  you  can  readily 
perceive  that  at  least  two  of  the  bodies  which  your 
soul  has  inhabited  were  chosen  to  perform  great 
services  for  the  human  race.  First,  by  a  natural 
course  of  instruction,  you  proved  to  the  Sagemen 
over  four  thousand  years  ago  that  the  soul  was  in- 
destructible. And  now,  through  a  mysterious 
operation  of  nature  you  are  brought  back  here  in 
an  inferior  organism  and  have  had  a  positive  mani- 
festation of  the  identical  principle  thus  established, 
in  order  that  you  might  resurrect  and  make  known 
to  all  mankind  the  unalterable  truth — Natural 


118  Born  Again 

Law.     Do  you  not  feel  highly  honored  to  be  called 
upon  twice  for  such  grand  missions?" 

"  But  I  cannot  understand,"  said  I,  "  why  na- 
ture, after  having  allowed  the  Sagemen  to  reach 
such  a  state  of  physical,  mental  and  moral  supe- 
riority, should  destroy  them  just  when  they  had 
reached  the  threshold  of  success." 

"Nature  did  not  destroy  the  Sagemen,"  replied 
Arietta,  "  they  extinguished  themselves  in  making 
an  effort  to  accomplish  something  beyond  their 
powers.  They  tried  to  operate  a  law  with  which 
they  had  not  become  sufficiently  familiar  to  insure 
success.  If  one  of  your  little  Apemen  experiments 
with  steam  or  dynamite  and  is  blown  to  atoms,  that 
is  his  own  fault,  not  nature's. 

"  For  a  thousand  years  the  Sagemen  had  made 
remarkable  progress  along  scientific  lines.  They 
had  mastered  themselves,  and  had  learned  to  think 
both  individually  and  collectively ;  and  also  to 
properly  distribute  and  enjoy  the  products  of  their 
combined  efforts.  They  had  acquired  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  particles  of  which  the  earth  is 
composed,  and  had  secured  control  of  the  atmos- 
phere that  surrounds  it.  They  had  harnessed  the 
chemical  properties  of  the  sun  after  reaching  the 
earth,  and  had  gained  possession  of  many  other 
valuable  utilities  by  following  the  course  of  Nat- 
ural Law,  but  when  they  undertook  to  regulate 


Born  Again  119 

the  earth's  path  in  space,  they  simply  over-stepped 
the  confines  of  their  abilities  and  failed.  That  was 
one  of  nature's  laws  they  were  not  thoroughly  ac- 
quainted with.  However,  as  it  requires  many 
drawbacks  to  achieve  extraordinary  success  in  all 
things,  humanity  should  not  be  discouraged  over 
this  failure,  but  gradually  work  its  way  up  again 
until  it  has  not  only  reached,  but  surpassed  the 
high  standard  of  excellence  attained  by  the  Sage- 
men. 

"  In  the  great  stretch  called  time,  the  length  of 
one  little  human  existence  is  but  a  mere  fraction 
of  a  moment.  Therefore,  one  should  devote  his 
best  efforts  during  that  brief  period,  to  making 
better  the  conditions  of  the  place  in  which  he  has 
to  spend  many  lives,  for,  according  to  what  he  has 
done  in  one  life,  so  must  he  contend  with  in  the 
next.  If,  while  possessing  physical  and  mental 
strength  in  one  body,  he  assists  in  upholding  a  cor- 
rupt social  system  which  takes  from  the  weak  and 
gives  to  the  strong,  he  must  expect  these  same 
conditions  to  exist  when  he  returns  as  a  weakling. 
For  as  long  as  hogs  are  bred  and  slaughtered,  so 
must  he  take  his  chances  of  being  one  of  them. 
How  much  better  to  help  mankind  seek  a  higher 
plane  of  intelligence,  in  which  equality  would  be  a 
reality,  thus  firmly  cementing  the  tie  of  sympathy 
and  love  between  all  living  things.  In  this  case 


120  Born  Again 

he  would  have  no  fear  concerning  his  chances  upon 
the  next  visit,  no  matter  in  what  form  he  might 
appear.  And  how  much  better  to  carry  on  the 
work  of  decreasing  the  birth  of  the  lower  animals 
and  increasing  the  numbers  and  quality  of  the 
higher  species,  until  there  was  nothing  left  on  earth 
but  the  very  best  type  of  human  beings  for  all 
souls  to  inhabit. 

"  Natural  Law  is  very  easily  understood  if  the 
mind  is  properly  directed  toward  it.  Great 
thoughts  are  easily  conveyed  from  one  to  another 
after  the  strong  intellects  have  conceived  them. 
Nature  itself  is  simply  the  principle  of  life  estab- 
lished by  the  Creator.  This  principle  plainly 
shows  an  evolutionary  tendency  of  all  living  par- 
ticles toward  a  final  state  of  complete  intelligence. 
This  intelligence  is  absorbed  by  the  mind.  The 
mind  itself  is  expanded  in  proportion  to  the  quan- 
tity it  takes  in,  and  is  capable  of  directing  it  for 
either  good  or  evil  purposes.  The  difference  be- 
tween good  and  evil  is  merely  that  between  unself- 
ishness and  selfishness.  Owing  to  its  immature 
growth,  the  mind  has  a  tendency  to  use  the  intelli- 
gence it  acquires  for  selfish  ends.  And  here  is  where 
the  soul  or  conscience  has  its  work  to  perform,  in 
trying  to  direct  it  into  good  channels. 

"  Intelligence  means  the  ability  to  think,  or  un- 
derstand the  thoughts  conceived  by  others.  The 


Born  Again  121 

most  intelligent  mind  will  listen  to  the  soul,  and 
use  the  thought  as  an  unselfish  medium  with  which 
to  aid  others.  The  poorly  developed  brain  stifles 
the  pleadings  of  the  conscience  and  utilizes  it  as  a 
selfish  weapon  to  secure  the  power  to  take  from 
others.  The  battle  of  existence  is  constantly  car- 
ried on  between  selfishness,  which  is  bred  from  the 
very  lowest  form  of  intelligence,  and  unselfishness, 
which  represents  the  very  highest  state  of  mental- 
ity. A  well-balanced  mind  wants  all  men  to  enjoy 
equal  rights  and  opportunities  in  common  with 
one  another,  affording  each  a  chance  to  rise  as  high 
as  his  capabilities  will  permit.  For  the  more  in- 
telligent beings  there  are  in  existence,  the  better 
for  all  concerned.  If  you  want  to  eradicate  dis- 
ease, you  must  stamp  out  the  conditions  that  breed 
it.  Before  you  can  reach  the  highest  form  of 
intelligence,  you  must  exterminate  the  causes  which 
create  selfishness.  And  he  who  labors  to  improve 
others,  unconsciously  produces  better  conditions 
for  himself." 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

"  The  history  of  Sageland,"  continued  Arietta, 
"during  one  thousand  years  prior  to  the  great 
catastrophe  was  simply  a  record  of  heaven  on  earth, 
in  which  the  inhabitants  lived  for  and  loved  one 
another.  The  abolition  of  the  pernicious  system 
of  individual  accumulation  was  the  direct  cause  for 
the  existence  of  this  beautiful  state  of  affairs.  For 
when  the  people  discovered  that  they  could  no 
longer  hoard  up  wealth  for  personal  advantage, 
but  were  required  to  give  their  best  efforts  toward 
the  general  production  of  the  State  in  exchange 
for  the  necessities  of  life,  they  lost  all  evil  desires 
and  endeavored  to  secure  the  highest  esteem  of 
their  fellow-beings  by  perfecting  themselves  men- 
tally, morally  and  physically  for  the  good  of  the 
community. 

"  The  system  by  which  the  State  required  each 
individual  to  devote  a  portion  of  his  time  toward 
general  production,  and  which  gave  him  in  return 
for  his  services  a  home,  food,  clothes,  education, 
entertainment,  and,  in  fact,  everything  necessary 
to  his  welfare  and  comfort,  is  so  simple  and  easy 
of  comprehension  that  any  living  thing  above  the 

122 


Born  Again  123 

intellectual  line  of  the  Ape  should  be  able  to  un- 
derstand it. 

"In  the  first  place,  the  State  was  simply  the 
people — all  of  the  people — working  harmoniously 
together  as  a  unit.  Every  child  was  educated  from 
its  infancy  in  the  economic  principles  of  the  State, 
and  upon  arriving  at  maturity  was  given  a  voice 
in  its  government.  There  were  no  privileges  what- 
soever granted  to  any  particular  person  or  persons, 
no  matter  how  superior  their  intelligence  nor  how 
valuable  the  services  they  rendered  to  the  country. 
As  long  as  any  one,  whether  strong  or  weak,  lived 
up  to  the  laws  of  the  State  and  applied  himself  to 
the  best  of  his  ability,  just  so  long  was  he  allowed 
a  voice  in  the  government  and  an  equal  propor- 
tion of  the  benefits  accorded  to  all.  Both  men 
and  women  enjoyed  equal  rights.  Every  man 
and  woman  in  the  country  was  a  public  servant ; 
they  all  worked  for  the  public  good.  Each  law 
adopted  was  put  into  force  through  the  direct  vote 
of  all  the  people.  Municipal  and  sectional  laws 
were  made  uniform  throughout  the  entire  nation. 
The  public  officials  were  chosen  from  the  wisest 
men  and  women  of  the  land.  These  officials 
formulated  the  laws,  but  none  of  them  became  op- 
erative until  sanctioned  by  the  people  through  suf- 
frage. And  no  matter  whether  the  law  was  great 
or  trivial,  it  was  left  for  the  people  to  decide 


124  Born  Again 

whether  they  would  accept  or  reject  it.  The  ma- 
jority always  settled  the  question,  and  the  law 
went  into  operation  for  a  stated  period,  at  the  ex- 
piration of  which  time  the  question  would  again 
be  reconsidered  and  voted  upon  if  necessary.  The 
laws  were  few  and  perfectly  plain,  and  could  not 
be  evaded.  Nor  was  there  any  advantage  to  be 
gained  by  evading  them.  The  principle  simply 
decreed,  that  all  persons  must  devote  a  certain 
portion  of  their  time  to  advancing  the  conditions 
of  the  country  which  gave  them  sustenance.  The 
State  allotted  to  the  individual  the  employment  for 
which  it  was  demonstrated  he  was  best  fitted. 
The  working  hours  were  few,  so  that  there  was 
no  strain  upon  the  energy  of  any  one,  no  matter 
what  labor  he  had  to  perform.  The  average  length 
of  time  the  individual  was  compelled  to  work  for 
the  public  was  four  hours  daily,  the  balance  of 
the  time  being  at  his  own  disposal,  but  usually 
occupied  as  follows:  four  hours  in  study;  two  hours 
for  physical  exercise  and  recreative  games ;  three 
hours  to  music,  painting  and  other  intellectual 
amusements ;  three  hours  for  nourishment  and 
eight  hours  for  sleep.  While  it  was  not  compul- 
sory to  pass  one's  time  as  stated,  still  it  was  gen- 
erally taught  and  believed  that  in  so  doing  the 
individual  developed  his  greatest  qualities. 
"  As  the  State  provided  everything  the  indi- 


Born  Again  125 

vidual  needed  from  the  time  of  birth  until  death, 
it  gave  him  an  opportunity  to  devote  his  time  to 
higher  and  purer  thoughts  and  purposes  than  the 
mere  animal  desires  for  selfish  gain,  and  thus  ex- 
terminated the  cause  of  deception,  fraud,  theft  and 
all  other  crimes  arising  therefrom. 

"  According  to  our  laws  the  public  owned  and 
operated  everything,  and  produced  and  distributed 
all  of  its  own  goods.  And  in  doing  this  it  set  aside 
all  superfluous  vocations  that  merely  wasted  public 
energy  and  turned  these  forces  into  other  channels 
for  the  common  good.  For  instance :  as  the  State 
owned  all  of  the  land  and  everything  that  was 
produced,  and  simply  gave  to  the  individual  that 
which  he  was  capable  of  consuming,  there  was  no 
need  for  such  things  as  taxes.  And  without  taxes 
there  was  no  public  labor  wasted  by  tax  collectors, 
lawyers,  treasurers,  auditors,  clerks,  book-keepers, 
etc. 

"Then  again,  the  individual  being  able  to  ob- 
tain everything  free  of  charge,  money  became 
valueless,  all  the  evils  of  the  financial  system 
eliminated,  and  the  preponderance  of  labor  ex- 
pended in  upholding  this  unnatural  system  was 
used  for  productive  purposes,  thus  doing  away  with 
such  occupations  as  money  making,  money  lending, 
banking,  broking,  speculating,  gambling,  etc. 

"  Without  money  in  existence,  and  labor  being 


126  Born  Again 

the  only  purchasing  power,  and  as  every  want  was 
satisfied  by  the  State  in  return  for  the  individual's 
services,  there  was  nothing  left  to  steal,  and  conse- 
quently no  necessity  for  utilizing  the  labor  of  an 
army  of  human  beings  as  police,  detectives,  judges, 
lawyers,  juries,  etc. 

"And  as  all  the  public  necessities  were  produced 
and  distributed  by  the  most  systematic,  direct,  and 
economic  methods,  straight  from  the  store-houses 
to  the  consumers,  there  was  no  use  for  merchants, 
traders,  jobbers,  agents,  salesmen,  clerks,  peddlers, 
etc. 

"As  each  individual  was  compelled  to  give  a 
percentage  of  his  time  toward  general  production, 
in  order  to  be  a  member,  in  good  standing,  of  the 
community,  and  able  to  enjoy  all  the  rights  that 
such  membership  accorded,  there  was  no  chance  to 
avoid  honest  work  and  no  room  for  such  para- 
sites as  tramps,  beggars  and  society  loafers. 

"So  that  in  abolishing  the  stupid  system  of  in- 
dividual accumulation  and  substituting  nature's 
plan  of  united  labor  and  equal  distribution,  all 
useless  vocations  and  parasitic  accessories  were  ex- 
tirpated entirely,  thus  transferring  that  tremendous 
leakage  of  human  energy  into  honest  production, 
the  beneficial  results  of  this  change  being :  shorter 
work  hours,  increased  education,  refinement,  com- 
fort, and  security  for  everybody,  and  the  exter- 
mination of  selfishness  and  crime. 


Born  Again  127 

"  United  labor  merely  utilized  the  various  forces 
of  nature,  to  produce  and  distribute  all  the  necessi- 
ties of  life  for  the  general  welfare  of  mankind, 
by  the  most  intelligent,  humane,  and  unselfish 
methods." 

"But,"  said  I,  as  Arietta  paused  for  a  moment, 
"  was  it  not  a  very  difficult  matter  to  make  all  men 
give  their  best  efforts  to  the  State  when  there  was 
no  incentive  for  personal  gain  other  than  that 
which  everybody  else  received,  and  did  not  those 
who  were  capable  of  accomplishing  more  work 
than  others,  complain  of  the  equal  benefits  given 
those  with  less  ability  and  not  so  industriously 
inclined  as  themselves  ?  " 

"  Those  same  questions  were  asked  and  answered 
over  five  thousand  years  ago,"  replied  Arietta, 
"and  were  subsequently  proved  to  be  silly  fal- 
lacies. If  a  man's  highest  aim  in  life  is  to  fool- 
ishly pile  up  worldly  products  for  his  own  piggish 
satisfaction,  then  he  is  really  on  no  higher  plane 
than  the  swine;  for  the  rich  accumulate  wealth 
like  the  hog  does  filth,  for  what,  they  know  not. 
It  requires  far  more  ability  to  build  a  strong 
moral  character  and  a  kindly  feeling  for  others, 
than  it  does  to  accumulate  a  mountain  of  produce. 
The  Sagemen,  with  their  splendid  intellects,  would 
gladly  have  worked  themselves  to  death  for  the 
public  good  had  not  the  State  restricted  the  work- 


128  Born  Again 

ing  hours  and  required  each  person  to  give  proper 
care  and  attention  to  himself  as  well  as  to  the 
public. 

"  Immediately  after  discarding  the  old  system 
of  individual  accumulation,  the  Sagemen  passed  a 
law  that  all  persons  refusing  to  do  their  portion 
of  work  for  the  public  should  be  considered  insane, 
and  put  into  asylums  until  such  time  as  they 
regained  their  proper  senses.  No  work,  no  free- 
dom, the  statute  said.  But  even  in  the  beginning 
there  was  very  little  use  for  these  asylums,  and 
within  two  generations  they  became  obsolete  for 
the  want  of  inmates.  The  vast  majority  of  human 
beings  are  anxious  to  appear  in  the  best  possible 
light  in  the  eyes  of  their  contemporaries  and  are 
swayed  either  forward  or  backward  by  the  senti- 
ment of  others.  If  public  opinion  says  to  the 
individual :  you  are  held  equally  responsible  with 
everybody  else  for  the  general  welfare  and  condi- 
tions of  your  country,  and  if  you  show  a  lack 
of  self-respect  by  trying  to  evade  the  small  portion 
of  work  necessary  to  pay  for  your  keeping,  then 
you  shall  be  judged  mentally  and  morally  un- 
sound, and  not  fit  to  associate  with  respectable 
people,  he  will  not  only  do  all  that  is  expected 
of  him,  but  will  try  to  out-work  everybody  else  in 
order  to  secure  the  highest  esteem  of  his  fellow 
beings. 


Born  Again  129 

"  The  system  of  individual  accumulation  as  now 
practiced  throughout  the  entire  world  is  a  most 
brutal  plan  of  existence.  It  is  either  directly  or  in- 
directly responsible  for  all  the  crime  and  suffering 
humanity  has  to  contend  with.  It  causes  men  to 
forget  their  souls  in  the  desperate  struggle  for  a 
mere  living.  It  saps  the  strength  of  the  individual 
and  then  censures  him  for  being  weak.  It  robs 
him  of  the  fruits  of  his  labor  and  then  blames  him 
for  being  poor.  It  forces  him  to  steal,  and  then 
punishes  him  for  being  a  thief.  It  drives  him  to 
all  sorts  of  crime,  and  then  condemns  him  for  being 
a  criminal.  It  encourages  and  gives  everything 
to  the  strong  and  discourages  by  taking  everything 
from  the  weak.  It  originated  with  the  primitive 
savages,  and  is  the  most  beastly  and  debasing  sys- 
tem conceivable.  It  keeps  mankind  in  the  very 
lowest  stage  of  intelligence,  and  in  a  condition  of 
helplessness  on  one  side  and  slavery  on  the  other. 
It  has  been  saturated  with  so  many  idiotic  laws 
and  so-called  remedies  since. its  inception  that  it 
now  resembles  a  great  network  of  legalized  corrup- 
tion. Laws  for  this  and  laws  for  that,  and  laws  to 
offset  other  laws  are  enacted  until  the  best  energy 
of  the  human  race  is  wasted,  in  either  making  or 
breaking  the  innumerable  edicts  made  to  uphold  a 
weak  and  rotten  system. 

"  You  cannot  make  right  by  patching  up  wrong. 


130  Born  Again 

A  new  and  effective  system  cannot  be  created  by 
changing  the  features  of  an  old  and  putrid  one. 
An  entirely  new  foundation  must  be  constructed 
in  order  to  insure  solidity  and  strength.  That  was 
the  reason  the  Sagemen  uprooted  entirely  the  can- 
cerous system  of  individual  accumulation  and 
planted  in  its  place  the  scientific  and  mutually 
beneficial  plan  of  united  labor  and  equal  distribu- 
tion as  decreed  by  Natural  Law. 

"  The  Apeman  being  the  foremost  of  living  par- 
ticles on  earth  at  the  present  time,  and  nature  being 
capable,  willing  and  generous  enough  to  abun- 
dantly provide  for  all  of  his  needs,  he  should  im- 
mediately cast  off  the  yoke  of  greed  and  devote  his 
time  and  best  efforts  to  a  nobler  work  than  the 
petty  accumulation  of  plunder." 


CHAPTER  XIX 

"In  equal  proportion  to  man's  moral  and  men- 
tal strength,  so  should  he  be  well-balanced  phys- 
ically," proceeded  Arietta.  "  In  fact,  he  cannot 
accept  his  greatest  opportunities  unless  perfectly 
sound  and  healthful.  The  mind  derives  its  power 
of  conception  from  the  energy  of  the  body,  as  well 
as  the  body  secures  its  impetus  from  mind,  there- 
fore, the  development  of  the  frame  should  at  least 
keep  pace  with  that  of  the  intellect,  if  not  exceed- 
ing it.  There  is  nothing  more  delightful  to  behold 
or  conceive  than  a  perfect  physical  man,  whose 
features  manifest  strong  moral  and  mental  attri- 
butes, as  exemplified  by  the  portraits  of  the  Sage- 
men." 

"  Excepting  a  perfect  woman  as  depicted  by 
yourself,"  thought  I,  with  uncontrollable  rapture, 
as  I  feasted  my  eyes  upon  her  exquisite  form  and 
lovely  countenance.  Taking  notice  of  my  passion- 
ate cogitation,  she  interjected,  "  Nature  created  the 
male  and  female,  and  in  order  to  perpetuate  life 
itself,  the  union  thereof  is  necessary ;  therefore,  the 
highest  aim  of  each  should  be  to  win  and  hold  the 
love  and  companionship  of  the  other.  To  do  this  suc- 

131 


132  Born  Again 

cessfully,  each  must  strive  to  reach  the  very  highest 
point  of  physical,  as  well  as  mental  and  moral 
excellence.  Our  men  adored  women  as  the  most 
sacred  and  beautiful  objects  of  life;  the  women 
revered  men  as  the  grandest  things  extant. 

"According  to  the  philosophy  of  Sage — who,  by 
the  way,  was  the  founder  of  our  government,  and 
the  first  to  expound  the  principles  of  Natural  Law 
— man  belonged  to  the  community,  and  not  the 
community  to  man.  He  contended  that  it  was 
just  as  essential  to  the  general  welfare  of  the  pub- 
lic for  the  individual  to  build  himself  up  from  a 
healthful  standpoint,  and  likewise  make  himself 
pleasing  to  the  eyes  of  others,  as  it  was  to  construct 
sanitary  and  artistic  houses. 

"  Health  and  beauty  are  natural ;  disease  and 
deformity  are  acquired,  and  are  therefore  crimes 
against  mankind.  There  are  three  good  reasons 
why  it  is  criminal  for  one  to  neglect  health.  First, 
by  going  contrary  to  Natural  Law,  he  unfits  him- 
self to  give  his  best  labors  toward  the  progress  of 
his  species.  Second,  by  breeding  disease  in  himself, 
he  forces  it  into  the  community.  Third — the 
most  heinous  crime  of  all — he  passes  down  to  his 
offspring  the  ghastly  inheritances  resulting  from 
his  own  degraded  weaknesses,  which,  in  turn,  are 
handed  down  from  generation  to  generation. 

"  Intemperance,  such  as  over-eating,  over-drink- 


Born  Again  133 

ing,  over-work,  over-rest,  and  many  other  forms 
of  over-doing  things,  together  with  worry  and 
uncleanliness,  is  directly  responsible  for  disease 
and  deformity.  All  living  things  would  be  health- 
ful, if  they  contained  enough  intelligence  to  live 
according  to  Natural  Law.  . 

"  Besides  using  moderation  in  taking  nourish- 
ment, work  and  pleasure,  the  Sageman  was  careful 
about  his  exercises,  assiduously  devoting  from  two 
to  three  hours  each  day  to  physical  culture.  He 
practiced  all  manner  of  games  and  acrobatic  per- 
formances, in  order  to  bring  the  body  up  to  its 
best  possible  shape.  Suppleness,  agility,  and 
gracefulness  were  desired  in  preference  to  brute 
strength.  Running,  jumping,  swimming,  and  fly- 
ing were  considered  a  necessary  part  of  every  one's 
daily  routine,  from  early  youth  until  old  age  and 
death." 

"Flying,"  exclaimed  I,  incredulously,  "you 
surely  do  not  mean  to  inform  me  that  the  Sagemen 
could  fly?" 

"  Yes,"  answered  Arietta,  "  the  practice  of 
floating  in  the  air  was  begun  shortly  prior  to  the 
great  catastrophe  and  many  of  our  men  and 
women  were  becoming  adepts  at  it.  You  see,  after 
the  Sageman  discontinued  the  animal  method 
of  eating  flesh  and  other  solid  substances  and 
adopted  the  aeriform  process  of  nourishment,  lie 


134  Born  Again 

naturally  became  much  lighter  in  proportion  to 
his  bulk,  and  gravitation  did  not  hold  him  so 
tightly  to  the  earth  as  formerly.  Of  course  it 
took  many  generations  of  tendency  in  that  direc- 
tion before  he  could  even  acquire  the  rudiments  of 
aerial  propulsion.  But  after  the  dread  feeling  of 
worry  and  want  was  finally  eradicated  from  his 
mind  by  the  abolition  of  the  individual  accumula- 
tive system,  he  then  began  to  apply  himself  care- 
fully to  physical  development,  and  as  running, 
jumping  and  acrobatic  work  have  the  best  sym- 
metrical effects  upon  the  human  form,  this  kind  of 
exercise  was  extensively  followed,  and  as  each 
generation  succeeded  in  outdoing  the  feats  of  the 
preceding  one,  the  entire  nation  finally  evolved 
into  one  of  extraordinary  springing  propensities. 
What  will  you  think,  when  I  tell  you  that  any  of 
our  men  or  women  could  jump  over  the  highest 
building  there  is  in  the  world  today,  or  run  faster 
than  any  of  your  steam  locomotives?  It  seems 
hard  for  you  to  realize  such  things,  but  still  these 
are  facts.  In  these  days,  the  Apeman  devotes  his 
time  to  the  construction  of  machinery  with  which 
to  carry  around  his  decaying  and  almost  useless 
frame,  while  the  Sageman  utilized  the  energy  of 
his  own  body  to  propel  himself  as  nature  intended. 
"  The  gradual  increase  from  year  to  year,  and 
generation  to  generation,  of  the  Sageman's  ability 


Born  Again  135 

to  make  high  leaps,  and  his  continual  desire  to  re- 
main in  the  air  as  long  as  possible,  eventually  bore 
evolutionary  results  by  man  learning  to  fly.  And 
like  swimming,  so  with  flying,  the  mind  plays  the 
biggest  part  towards  its  accomplishment. 

"As  you  appear  incredulous  regarding  my 
statements,  I  will  just  give  you  a  little  illustra- 
tion," said  Arietta,  and  before  I  was  aware  of  her 
intentions  she  arose,  and  with  an  almost  impercep- 
tible spring  went  straight  up  to  the  ceiling,  and 
then  with  a  graceful  movement  somewhat  similar 
to  a  fish  swimming  in  the  water,  she  went  half  way 
across  the  room  and  slowly  descended  to  the  floor 
again.  "There  is  no  good  reason  why  a  man 
should  not  fly  as  well  as  swim,"  said  Arietta,  being 
seated  once  more.  "Time  and  inclination  work 
wonders,  and  the  human  race  has  no  limit  to  its 
achievements  if  it  only  takes  the  right  course. 

"  In  order  to  obtain  the  best  results  physically, 
the  individual  must  live  according  to  the  simple 
laws  of  nature.  Plenty  of  good  healthful  exercise 
must  be  taken  regularly  and  without  strain.  The 
intelligent  direction  of  the  mind  must  also  be 
brought  into  action  with  all  muscular  efforts. 
Man's  daily  employment  should  be  a  mixture 
of  both  mental  and  physical  labor,  for  all  brain 
work  strains  the  mind  and  weakens  the  flesh,  while 
all  bodily  exertion  over-taxes  the  frame  and 


136  Born  Again 

retards  the  growth  of  intellect.  Deep  breathing, 
an  abundance  of  pure  fresh  air  and  plenty  of  sun- 
light are  indispensable  to  perfect  health.  Daily 
baths  are  essential  to  keep  the  exterior  of  the 
body  clean,  while  the  interior  must  be  kept  in 
good  order  with  a  moderate  supply  of  simple, 
wholesome  and  unadulterated  foods.  Nature's 
plain  beverage,  water,  is  all  that  man  should 
imbibe.  No  evil  thoughts  must  be  allowed  to 
enter  the  mind.  Cheerfulness,  self-control,  kind- 
liness and  optimism  are  great  aids  in  promoting 
health.  Pessimism,  worry,  anger,  fear  and  violent 
emotions  are  poison  to  the  system.  There  should 
be  nothing  in  life  to  fear,  and  especially  not  the 
Creator.  The  unselfish  know  no  fear.  Those 
who  teach  it,  or  cause  others  to  fear  are  common 
enemies  to  health  and  progress. 

"The  beastly  custom  of  drinking  intoxicating 
liquors,  now  prevalent  throughout  the  world,  is 
one  of  the  very  worst  forms  of  robbing  the  indi- 
vidual of  his  physical  strength  and  vitality,  as 
well  as  his  reason  and  moral  character. 

"The  tobacco  habit  also,  that  idiotic  and  ridicu- 
lous performance  of  filling  the  mouth  with  smoke 
merely  to  blow  it  out  again,  is  another  dangerous 
obstacle  thrown  in  the  path  of  good  health.  It 
seems  strange  that  the  Apeman  cannot  open  his 
eyes  wide  enough  to  see  the  danger  as  well  as  the 


Born  Again  137 

absurdity  of  these  silly  customs  which  sap  his 
strength  and  leave  him  in  a  state  of  abject  weak- 
ness. What  a  pity  he  cannot  exert  enough  will 
power  to  overcome  these  stupid  and  harmful 
practices. 

"  If  you  want  to  use  your  faculties  when  you  are 
old,  exercise  them  properly  when  you  are  young. 
Improve  yourself  and  you  make  better  the  world." 


CHAPTER  XX 

"Sageland,  previous  to  the  catastrophe,"  re- 
sumed Arietta,  "  was  a  small  oblong  continent  sur- 
rounded by  what  are  now  known  as  the  Indian 
and  South  Atlantic  Oceans.  It  ran  from  north-east 
to  southwest.  Its  extreme  length  was  nine  hundred 
and  twenty-eight  miles  and  its  greatest  width  was 
three  hundred  and  ninety-six  miles.  There  were  a 
little  over  thirty  million  inhabitants  in  the  land. 

"  Unlike  the  different  countries  of  the  present 
time,  there  were  no  large  cities  in  Sageland.  The 
population  was  scattered  over  the  entire  surface  of 
the  country  at  intervals  and  was  domiciled  in  two 
distinct  ways ;  namely :  the  rural  form  of  dwell- 
ing, in  which  a  single  family  occupied  a  separate 
house  for  its  own  private  use,  and  the  borough  set- 
tlements, whereby  several  thousand  persons  lived 
together  under  one  roof. 

"  The  great  structures  known  as  borough  build- 
ings covered  about  a  square  mile  of  land  each,  and 
were  from  fifty  to  eighty  stories  in  height.  They 
were  very  artistically  designed,  most  luxuriously 
furnished  and  the  sanitary  arrangements  absolutely 
perfect.  They  contained,  besides  a  private  room 

138 


Born  Again  139 

for  each  individual,  public  reception  rooms,  libra- 
ries, music  halls,  theatres,  gymnasiums,  baths,  etc. 
No  person  was  allowed  more  than  one  room  for 
private  use,  but  a  family  could  have  a  suite  of 
apartments  in  proportion  to  its  own  number.  The 
reception  rooms,  music  halls,  theatres,  libraries, 
gymnasiums,  baths,  etc.,  were  entirely  public  and 
all  persons  were  at  liberty  to  come  or  go  as  they 
pleased.  The  room  in  which  you  are  now  seated 
was  my  own  private  apartment  in  a  borough  build- 
ing which  was  occupied  by  seven  thousand  people. 

"  I  have  already  explained  the  method  whereby 
we  received  our  sustenance,  the  different  aeriform 
substances  being  piped  directly  from  the  labora- 
tories to  the  consumers'  personal  apartments,  thus 
obviating  the  necessity  for  dining  halls  and 
kitchens. 

"  There  being  no  such  agency  as  commerce  in 
Sageland,  through  which  the  necessities  of  life 
were  bought,  sold,  exchanged,  or  stolen,  there  was, 
of  course,  no  need  for  such  establishments  as 
wholesale  or  retail  stores,  banks,  etc.  Neither 
were  there  any  churches  or  jails.  Great  national 
work-shops,  laboratories,  and  store-houses,  a  na- 
tional auditorium,  art  gallery,  museum,  and  ob- 
servatory were  the  only  buildings  erected  besides 
the  rural  and  borough  dwellings. 

"  The  chief  industries  of  our  people  were  plant- 


140  Born  Again 

ing,  reaping,  condensing  and  distributing  dietary 
substances ;  manufacturing  such  things  as  ma- 
chinery, clothing,  paints,  musical  and  scientific 
instruments,  and  building.  Railroads,  steamships, 
mail  service,  the  telegraph  and  telephone  had  be- 
come obsolete  with  the  Sagemen.  In  the  first  place, 
it  was  not  necessary  for  men  to  travel  at  all  in  per- 
son, for  by  the  power  of  mind  sight  they  were  able 
to  see  what  took  place  at  any  particular  place  on 
earth,  and  also  they  were  capable  of  communicat- 
ing with  each  other  telepathically  at  any  distance 
just  as  easily  as  I  am  now  conversing  with  you. 

"Great  centrifugal  and  centripetal  engines, 
capable  of  transplanting  any  quantity  of  material 
from  one  place  to  another,  were  constructed  for 
carrying  purposes,  while  automatic  transmuting 
machines,  by  which  one  element  could  be  turned 
into  another,  cut  down  the  necessity  of  transporta- 
tion to  a  minimum.  Machinery,  directed  by  the 
human  mind,  and  deriving  its  power  from  the  sun 
and  other  forces  of  nature,  did  all  of  the  Sage- 
man's  laborious  work. 

"The  Sageman's  discovery  and  partial  utiliza- 
tion of  the  two  great  forces  of  nature,  centrifugal 
and  centripetal  energy,  were  the  causes  of  his  final 
destruction,  however,  for  he  not  only  used  them 
advantageously  here,  but  by  their  power  actually 
tried  to  regulate  the  earth's  course  in  space  to  suit 


Born  Again  141 

himself.  And  furthermore,  he  not  only  contem- 
plated steering  his  own  world  in  whatever  direction 
or  part  of  the  heavens  he  might  choose,  but  his 
ultimate  plans  were  to  visit,  inhabit  and  control 
the  movements  of  all  the  great  bodies  of  the 
universe. 

"  These  laudable  purposes,  while  no  doubt  prac- 
tical, failed  by  being  undertaken  prematurely  as 
forewarned  by  many  of  our  ablest  thinkers,  who, 
unfortunately,  were  in  the  minority  when  the  ques- 
tion of  making  the  initial  trial  was  voted  upon. 
And  by  this  failure  the  earth  was  rent  in  a  fearful 
manner,  its  map  considerably  altered  and  Sageland 
and  its  people  wiped  out  of  existence  entirely. 

"  Many  millions  of  Apemen  who  inhabited  the 
balance  of  the  globe  at  that  time  must  also  have 
perished  from  the  effects  of  the  awful  convulsion 
which  no  doubt  shook  the  earth  to  its  core.  And 
so  it  was,  I  presume,  the  upset  atmospheric  condi- 
tions of  the  earth  resulting  from  this  catastrophe, 
forty-two  hundred  and  thirty  years  ago,  that  is 
responsible  for  the  silly  religious  legend  by  which 
the  Apeman  blames  the  Creator  for  sending  a  flood 
to  destroy  the  inhabitants  of  the  world,  good  and 
bad  alike. 

"But  notwithstanding  his  superior  intellectu- 
ality the  Sageman  was  far  from  being  infallible. 
He  often  made  mistakes  as  he  relentlessly  struggled 


142  Born  Again 

along  in  search  of  knowledge.  Natural  Law  teaches 
that  the  main  object  of  life  is  to  absorb,  concen- 
trate and  utilize  intelligence.  Intelligence  rules 
the  universe.  The  Sageman  considered  it  his  duty 
to  first  control  himself,  then  the  earth,  and  finally 
the  universe.  But  he  became  impatient,  and  wanted 
to  explore  the  heavens  before  he  had  assimilated 
all  terrestrial  life,  and  concentrated  sufficient  power 
to  insure  success.  He  was  anxious  to  control  new 
worlds  before  he  had  put  his  own  into  the  best 
order.  Had  he  waited  until  the  Apeman  and 
other  living  particles  could  have  reached  the  same 
state  of  intelligence  as  himself,  and  then  concen- 
trated and  utilized  the  combined  mental  strength 
of  the  whole  to  solve  the  great  problem,  no  doubt 
he  would  have  been  more  successful  in  his  first  at- 
tempt at  universal  navigation. 

"  However,  he  tried  and  failed,  and  by  that 
failure  thoroughly  demonstrated  the  futility  of  one 
part  of  humanity  trying  to  rush  ahead  of  the 
whole,  and  the  absolute  necessity  for  all  mankind 
to  work  unitedly  and  harmoniously,  and  go  for- 
ward as  a  unit  to  accomplish  the  greatest  results 
within  its  power." 

"But,"  inquired  I,  "what  law  or  chance  was  it 
that  destroyed  all  of  your  countrymen,  and  still 
preserved  you  through  all  these  ages? " 

"  That  is  the  most  remarkable  circumstance  of 


Born  Again  143 

the  whole  affair,"  answered  Arietta,  as  she  cast  a 
loving  glance  in  the  direction  of  the  leader  of  the 
band,  and  then,  reverently  pointing  toward  him, 
she  continued,  "  he  was  the  foremost  man  of  his 
day,  and  it  was  generally  conceded  by  all  of  our 
people  that  he  was  the  greatest  man  the  earth  ever 
produced.  Like  Sage,  the  founder  of  our  govern- 
ment, he  lived  entirely  for  others.  His  sole  aim 
in  life  was  to  make  better  the  conditions  of  all  liv- 
ing things  ;  to  make  hardship,  sorrow,  suffering  or 
misery  an  impossibility  on  earth.  In  order  to  be 
of  the  greatest  service  to  others,  he  knew  that  he 
must  not  only  be  unselfish,  but  also  build  up  his 
body,  brain  and  character  to  the  very  highest  de- 
gree of  efficiency  and  perfection.  And  he  did  so. 
He  built  himself  up  from  a  physical,  mental,  and 
moral  standpoint,  until  it  seemed  to  others  that  he 
was  the  personification  of  intelligence,  love,  virtue, 
and  magnificence.  While  possessing  the  greatest 
brain  power,  still  he  was  the  most  humble  man  in 
Sageland.  Although  a  giant  in  physical  strength, 
yet  he  was  as  gentle  as  a  lamb.  He  was  the  great- 
est thinker  of  all  time,  but  there  was  no  room  in 
his  brain  for  an  impure  thought.  Notwithstand- 
ing he  was  still  a  young  man,  being  but  fifty  years 
of  age,  nevertheless  he  had  attained  distinct  suc- 
cess and  fame  as  a  musician,  composer,  scientist, 
inventor,  architect,  and  athlete.  He  endeavored 


144  Born  Again 

to  unravel  all  the  mysteries  of  nature  which  at- 
tracted his  attention.  One  of  the  many  occult 
forces  he  experimented  with  was  human  magnet- 
ism. It  was  his  theory  that  man  could  preserve 
himself  indefinitely,  either  in  a  state  of  animation 
or  suspended  vitality,  by  the  strength  of  his  own 
will  power.  He  often  said  that,  barring  accidents, 
he  would  live  to  be  a  thousand  years  old.  In 
order  that  he  might  thoroughly  study  the  subject 
and  discover,  if  possible,  the  exact  forces  that 
caused  life  and  death,  he  often  used  me  as  an  ex- 
ample for  his  experiments.  Many  times  he  had 
caused  me  to  lie  in  a  trance  for  several  months' 
duration  without  the  slightest  change  in  my  ap- 
pearance showing  itself.  While  my  aid  was  neces- 
sary to  suspend  animation,  yet  when  once  under 
the  influence  of  the  strange  forces  by  which  it  was 
accomplished,  my  senses  departed  entirely,  and  I 
had  no  power  to  revive  myself,  but  had  to  depend 
upon  him  to  restore  consciousness.  Ten  days  prior 
to  the  date  set  for  the  first  trial  whereby  man  was 
to  navigate  the  earth  in  space,  I  allowed  him  to  put 
me  under  the  spell  of  these  influences,  and  although 
it  seems  like  yesterday  that  it  happened,  still  over 
forty-two  centuries  have  since  passed  by.  Un- 
counted billions  of  human  beings  have  lived,  suf- 
fered and  died  since  that  time,  but  the  same  soul 
which  guided  the  magnificent  being  who  put  me 


Born  Again  145 

into  that  trance,  has  lived  through  it  all,  and  by  a 
mysterious  power,  has  finally  returned  to  release 
my  soul  from  its  incarceration.  It  was  a  natural 
law  which  caused  me  to  sleep  peacefully  through 
all  those  centuries,  and  likewise  it  was  according 
to  nature's  principle  that  you  were  brought  back 
here  to  awaken  me. 

"  The  seed  of  united  labor  sown  by  the  immortal 
Sage,  which  proved  so  prolific  in  love  and  progress 
to  the  Sagemen,  was  not  entirely  destroyed  by 
the  great  catastrophe,  but  lay  smouldering  in  this 
tomb  during  the  dark  ages  of  superstition,  ignor- 
ance and  savagery  that  have  since  elapsed,  and 
must  now  be  replanted  in  the  soil  of  human  hearts, 
and  its  benevolent  results  spread  throughout  the 
earth,  offering  peace  and  good  will  to  all  living 
things. 

"And  you,  who  are  guided  by  the  soul  of  my 
final  consort,"  said  Arietta,  as  the  full  rays  of  her 
luminous  eyes  were  fastened  upon  me,  "  I  entreat 
you  to  go  forth  as  a  messenger  of  truth  and  justice 
and  teach  the  principles  of  Natural  Law  to  all 
of  your  species." 


CHAPTER  XXI 

"But  what  about  yourself?"  inquired  I  of 
Arietta,  as  I  met  her  sympathetic  gaze  with  a 
look  of  adoration.  "  If  you  would  visit  the  dif- 
ferent countries  of  the  world  you  could  revolu- 
tionize things  in  a  very  short  time  I  am  sure.  You 
could  explain  the  principles  of  Natural  Law  to 
the  people,  and  teach  them  methods  of  which  I 
know  nothing.  The  wise  and  learned  men  of  the 
present  time  would  understand  your  explanation 
much  better,  and  would  give  the  subject  far  more 
serious  consideration  than  if  I,  a  poor  ignorant 
fellow  with  neither  education  nor  standing,  under- 
took to  instruct  them.  The  whole  world  would 
stop  and  listen  to  you.  The  inhabitants  would  set 
you  up  as  a  goddess,  and  rally  to  your  standard  as 
mistress  of  the  earth.  Besides,  the  power  your 
apparently  unlimited  intelligence  would  create, 
your  wonderful  beauty  would  immediately  charm 
every  mortal  who  once  set  eyes  on  you.  Kings, 
emperors  and  potentates  of  all  kinds  would  fall 
madly  in  love  with  you  at  first  sight,  and  you 
would  have  but  to  command  to  bring  them  to  your 
feet  as  slaves  ready  to  do  your  slightest  bidding. 

146 


Born  Again  147 

To  further  your  own  purposes  you  could  " — but 
here  I  stopped  short  in  my  recital,  shocked  by  a 
thousand  little  demons  of  jealousy  entering  my 
brain  as  it  occurred  to  me  that  perhaps  Arietta 
would  forget  me  entirely  if  all  the  great  persons 
of  the  earth  showered  honors  and  favors  upon  her. 
I  felt  intensely  miserable  at  the  very  idea  of  such 
a  thing. 

"  Do  not  allow  silly  thoughts  to  enter  your 
head,"  said  she  compassionately,  "  I  shall  never 
leave  this  place.  This  room  has  been  the  scene 
of  the  happiest  hours  of  my  life  in  which  my 
coeternal  companion,  incased  in  the  flesh  of  a  real 
man,  plighted  his  everlasting  love  and  devotion  to 
me.  And  by  a  simple  and  intelligent  law  of 
nature  I  have  been  held  a  captive  in  this  room 
through  countless  generations  to  witness  the  trans- 
formation and  return  of  that  faithful  comrade  to 
release  my  soul  from  captivity.  And  now  this 
room  shall  be  my  mortal  sepulchre. 

"Although  I  should  like,  ever  so  much,  to  go 
forth  and  devote  many  years  to  teaching  the  Ape- 
man  the  glorious  principles  of  Natural  Law  as 
prescribed  by  my  beloved  countrymen,  yet  it  is 
not  within  my  power  to  do  so.  Owing  to  the  con- 
stant change  in  the  chemical  composition  of  the 
atmosphere,  and  the  vast  difference  in  its  present 
arrangement  and  that  of  four  thousand  two  hun- 


148  Born  Again 

dred  years  ago,  it  would  be  impossible  for  me  to 
live  five  minutes  outside  of  this  chamber.  In  fact 
I  have  noticed  that  the  supply  of  air,  which  must 
have  been  hermetically  sealed  within  this  vault  at 
the  time  of  the  catastrophe,  has  been  gradually 
escaping  by  way  of  the  hole  through  which  you 
forced  a  passageway.  Hence  within  a  very  short 
time  my  life  will  have  oozed  away  for  the  want  of 
proper  stimulus.  Then  again,  the  period  in  which 
the  particles  of  this  human  frame  should  naturally 
cling  together  has  long  since  expired,  and  should  I 
but  expose  myself  to  the  elements  now  existing  on 
the  exterior  of  this  place,  I  should  no  doubt, 
crumble  into  dust  and  be  blown  away  with  the 
winds.  Notwithstanding  nature  compels  the 
mutability  of  all  things,  its  laws  however  remain 
unchangeable,  and  as  the  time  has  passed  and  the 
conditions  altered  since  I  should  have  lived  my 
natural  life,  this  material  of  which  I  am  now  com- 
posed must  soon  collapse,  its  parts  disintegrate  and 
return  to  the  elements  from  whence  they  came. 

"  But  my  soul  shall  continue  to  live,  and  the 
same  law  which  brought  you  back  here  to  me  will 
also  bring  our  souls  together  many  times  and  in 
different  forms  during  eternity.  And  as  you  now 
possess  the  strength,  intelligence  and  opportunity, 
it  is  your  sacred  duty  to  go  forth  and  teach  Ape- 
men  to  love  one  another  and  practice  kindness 


Born  Again  149 

toward  all  living  things,  for  you  know  not  in  what 
shape  I  may  return.  As  you  would  be  kind  tome 
now,  so  must  you  treat  all  of  nature's  creatures. 
And  remember,  that  the  soul  you  so  ardently  wor- 
ship now  and  so  reverently  loved  over  four  thou- 
sand years  ago,  cannot  return  in  a  perfect  form  if 
there  are  none  such  forms  to  inhabit,  or  in  a  good 
and  pure  being  if  there  are  no  such  beings  extant. 
But,  on  the  contrary,  if  in  the  future  none  but 
good  and  beautiful  lives  exist  on  earth,  my  soul 
cannot  possibly  occupy  anything  else.  Thus, 
Natural  Law  plainly  teaches  that,  as  you  prepare 
earthly  conditions  in  one  form  of  life,  so  must  you 
tolerate  them  in  the  next.  In  fact,  our  own  future 
safety  and  happiness  depend  upon  all  living  things 
reaching  a  high  state  of  perfection  and  equality. 
And  now,"  said  Arietta,  arising  and  exhibiting 
considerable  emotion,  "  having  briefly  instructed 
you  in  Natural  Law  as  deeply  as  your  limited 
mental  capacity  will  permit,  the  time  has  arrived 
that  we  must  part,  for  I  feel  that  I  am  growing 
weak  and  cannot  live  much  longer.  In  fact,  it 
has  been  through  the  power  of  my  will  alone  that 
I  have  been  kept  alive  until  now.  So  prepare 
yourself  to  go." 

"  Go  !  "  ejaculated  I,  jumping  to  my  feet  with 
an  awful  feeling  of  anguish  as  I  realized  the  full 
meaning  of  her  words.  "  Me,  go  ?  Never !  I 


150  Born  Again 

shall  remain  here  and  we  shall  die  together.  I 
could  never  live  without  you.  There  would  be 
left  no  object  in  life  worth  living  for."  And  then, 
advancing  forward,  I  took  her  shapely  hand  in 
mine,  and,  looking  directly  into  her  lovely  eyes 
with  much  earnestness,  said  :  "  I  fully  understand 
that  in  comparison  to  the  Sageman,  I  am  a  hideous 
and  degraded  creature.  And  I  also  know  that  the 
love  that  filled  the  hearts  of  your  contemporaries 
for  one  another  was  sublime,  having  for  a  few 
moments  during  that  musical  spell  been  moved  by 
the  same  emotions  that  once  impelled  the  exalted 
being  of  which  I  am  the  re-incarnation,  but  be- 
lieve me  when  I  say  that  my  love  for  you  now 
is  ten  thousand  times  stronger  than  it  was  then. 
I  worship  you.  I  shall  die  for  and  with  you. 
Aye,  even  nature  itself  cannot  keep  me  alive  after 
you  have  gone.  I  may  not  be  the  equal  of  the 
Sageman  in  other  ways,  but  I  shall  prove  that  my 
love  for  you  is  equally  as  great." 

During  this  outburst  of  my  thoughts,  Arietta 
stood  in  a  motionless  attitude,  holding  my  out- 
stretched hand  and  returning  my  excited  gaze  with 
a  look  of  mingled  pity  and  sorrow.  "Is  it  possi- 
ble," said  she,  "that  there  is  not  one  Apeman  in 
the  world  today  with  sufficient  strength  of  charac- 
ter to  relinquish  his  own  selfish  desires  for  the 
good  of  his  species?  Can  it  be  that  not  one 


Born  Again  151 

Apeman  exists  whom  nature  can  rely  upon  for  the 
great  work  of  uplifting  humanity,  who  is  brave 
enough  to  resist  the  temporary  fascination  of  a 
lovable  woman  ?  And  have  I  lived  to  see  the  re- 
incarnated soul  of  the  bravest  and  noblest  man  that 
ever  breathed,  bound  within  the  flesh  of  a  wretched 
coward  incapable  of  living  for  any  greater  purpose 
than  his  own  self-gratification  ?  Am  I  to  under- 
stand that  one  who  is  controlled  by  the  spirit  of 
my  everlasting  associate,  intends  betraying  nature's 
trust  by  shirking  the  responsibilities  of  manhood, 
because  he  lacks  the  courage  to  live  ?  Will  there 
be  promulgated  among  the  records  of  time  an 
account  of  my  immortal  partner  having  deserted 
his  post  of  duty  by  sneaking  out  of  the  world  be- 
fore his  allotted  time  ?  Would  this  being,  who  is 
blessed  with  physical  strength  and  a  well-balanced 
brain,  allow  himself  to  sink  to  the  level  of  a  craven 
suicide,  because  he  cannot  secure  something  beyond 
his  reach?  Does  he  think  that  nature  brought 
him  into  existence  for  no  other  purpose  than  to 
feed  his  own  petty  desires  ?  Would  he  deliberately 
die  like  a  useless  poltroon,  and  leave  the  world  in 
its  present  state  of  savagery  and  wretchedness, 
without  even  attempting,  to  be  of  service  to  human- 
ity in  the  very  work  it  requires  the  most  ?  " 

"Stop!      Enough!"     cried     I.      "You    have 
wounded  my  feelings  to  the  very  core.     I'll  admit 


152  Born  Again 

that  I  am  weak  in  this  instance.  Very  weak 
indeed.  But  this  is  the  first  time  that  my  courage 
has  ever  been  assailed  by  anyone,  and  to  have  you 
above  all  persons,  openly  insinuate  that  I  am  a 
coward  is  far  worse  than  having  inflicted  upon  me 
the  cruelest  tortures  of  the  Apeman's  prospective 
hell.  I  am  only  an  Apeman,  but  as  I  said  before, 
I  love  you  beyond  all  power  of  expression.  You 
no  doubt,  cannot  understand  my  puny  feelings 
any  more  than  I  can  fully  comprehend  your  lofty 
ideals  or  the  full  meaning  of  your  higher  knowl- 
edge of  things.  The  very  greatest  hardship  for 
me  to  undergo  would  be  to  live  after  you  have 
passed  away.  But,  if  by  the  promise  of  so  doing 
I  can  gain  your  respect  and  one  encouraging  look 
or  word  of  approval,  I  will  not  only  rescind  the 
text  of  my  previous  statement  and  live,  but  I  swear 
to  you  in  the  name  of  the  Creator  of  the  law 
which  governs  all  things,  that  I  shall  strictly  fol- 
low to  the  letter  any  instructions  you  may  wish  to 
offer  concerning  my  future  movements,  no  matter 
what  they  might  be.  So  make  my  task  a  hard 
one,  for  the  courage  you  so  unfeelingly  attacked 
must  be  tested  to  its  full  limits.  I  am  ready  to 
obey  your  commands." 

Having  thus  addressed  Arietta,  I  straightened 
myself  up  to  my  full  height  with  as  much  dignity 
as  I  could  assume,  folded  my  arms  across  my  chest 
and  awaited  her  orders. 


Born  Again  153 

"  The  Sagemen  never  urged  their  desires  by  a 
command,"  replied  Arietta,  "  they  simply  requested 
that  which  they  would  like  to  have  done.  The 
request  I  shall  make  concerning  your  future  duty 
can  be  incorporated  in  a  very  few  words,  but  it 
will  require  a  lifetime  and  great  strength  of  char- 
acter to  execute.  But  as  you  have  promised  like 
a  man  to  follow  my  instructions,  I  shall  die  with 
implicit  confidence  in  your  determination  to  do  so. 
So  consider  well  the  following  mandate,  for  it  con- 
tains the  essence  which  will  stimulate  you  to 
heroic  deeds : 

"Always  consult  your  soul  for  advice, 

"Do  no  act  your  conscience  will  not  sanction." 

Three  times  Arietta  slowly  repeated  this  pre- 
cept, and  then  placing  her  hands  upon  my 
shoulders  she  continued :  "  The  first  time  you  act 
contrary  to  the  admonition  of  your  soul,  then  you 
will  have  broken  your  promise  to  me.  Now  go," 
said  she,  turning  me  about  until  I  faced  the  door- 
way, "  I  must  request  your  immediate  departure. 
Go,  and  try  to  be  a  man.  We  shall  meet  many 
times  in  the  future,  so  while  you  have  the  chance 
try  and  make  better  the  conditions  of  life,  that  we 
may  eventually  meet  on  the  same  plane  of  equality 
without  the  shadow  of  strife  or  animosity  to  mar 
our  happiness.  Good  bye." 


154  Born  Again 

With  the  meaning  of  these  words  ringing  in  my 
head,  I  fully  understood  that  my  audience  with 
Arietta  was  at  an  end,  and  overcome  with  grief 
and  gloom  I  weakly  responded,  "  good  bye,"  and 
then  added,  "  I  shall  never  break  my  promise." 
Then  with  a  heavy  tread  I  walked  to  the  opening 
through  which  I  had  entered,  turned  half  around 
and  took  one  long,  last,  loving  look  at  Arietta  and 
passed  into  the  corridor  beyond.  At  the  same 
time  I  fancied  I  heard  her  gently  sobbing. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

Suffering  with  a  dejected  feeling  of  despair,  I 
wended  my  way  through  the  chaotic  anterior  hall 
in  search  of  the  hole  through  which  I  had  so  mi- 
raculously entered.  It  seemed  as  if  life's  sole  aim 
had  suddenly  been  stricken  from  the  range  of  my 
vision.  I  could  not  understand  why  nature  should 
be  so  cruel  as  to  give  me  but  one  momentary 
glimpse  of  that  angelic  mortal  and  then  thrust  me 
away  from  her  in  such  an  indifferent  manner.  I 
wondered  why  the  world  was  not  populated  ex- 
clusively by  such  lovely  beings.  Was  it  because 
the  people  themselves,  through  their  individual 
accumulative  system,  created  conditions  whereby 
only  the  most  abject  and  debased  mortals  could 
survive?  Was  this  system  responsible  for  petty 
selfishness,  instead  of  conscience  governing  man, 
causing  him  in  his  greedy  scramble  for  temporary 
gain,  to  keep  others  in  a  state  of  helplessness, 
ignorance,  and  squalor,  thus  propagating  an  inferior 
race  of  physical,  mental,  and  moral  pigmies  as  the 
foremost  inhabitants  of  the  earth  ?  Why  could 
not  humanity  organize  itself  as  a  great  unit  of  un- 
selfish effort  and  equality,  for  the  purpose  of  uplift- 

155 


156  Born  Again 

ing  and  strengthening  all  of  its  component  parts, 
instead  of  those  parts  pulling  down,  weakening, 
and  destroying  one  another  in  a  ferocious  struggle 
for  individual  predominance  ? 

As  these  and  similar  thoughts  crowded  them- 
selves into  my  brain,  my  attention  was  attracted 
by  soft  strains  of  music  emanating  from  the  room 
I  had  just  left,  and  I  stood  still  and  listened. 
Arietta  had  evidently  set  the  orchestral  mechanism 
in  motion  again,  and  was  accompanying  it  by  ten- 
derly singing  her  own  requiem.  With  tremulous 
modulation,  her  vocal  chords  produced  sounds  such 
as  I  had  never  heard  before,  and  of  which  I  am 
powerless  to  give  the  faintest  description.  Like  a 
statue,  I  stood  and  listened  to  the  almost  supernat- 
ural melody,  and  inwardly  prayed  that  it  might 
continue  forever.  But  suddenly  both  the  music 
and  singing  ended,  and  absolute  quietness  pre- 
vailed. It  may  have  been  a  pure  fancy  on  my 
part,  but  as  I  waited  in  breathless  silence,  hoping 
for  more  music,  the  apparition  of  Arietta  seemed 
to  pass  directly  over  my  head,  and  continued  right 
on  up  through  the  solid  roof  of  the  hallway. 
Startled  beyond  expression  at  what  I  now  consider 
a  mere  delusion,  I  shouted  her  name  at  the  top  of 
my  voice  several  times,  and  receiving  no  answer, 
either  telepathically  or  phonetically,  I  came  to  the 
awful  conclusion  that  she  was  no  more. 


Born  Again  157 

Is  it  unmanly  to  cry  ?  If  so,  I  must  confess  my 
unmanliness,  for  on  this  occasion  it  was  impossible 
for  me  to  repress  the  tears  from  coursing  down  my 
cheeks,  as  I  realized  that  the  last  of  nature's  grand- 
est and  noblest  earthly  beings  had  passed  away. 
But  the  tears  I  shed  apparently  softened  my  nature, 
and  as  I  stood  buried  in  the  depth  of  meditation 
concerning  the  preceding  events,  I  became  impreg- 
nated with  the  desire  to  try  and  do  some  real  good 
in  the  world ;  to  make  myself  useful  to  mankind ; 
to  live  for  others  instead  of  myself  alone.  And 
then  and  there  I  resolved  that  I  would  devote  the 
remainder  of  my  natural  life  to  teaching  human 
beings  the  beautiful  principles  of  Natural  Law,  as  I 
understood  them,  without  expectation  of  compen- 
sation or  future  reward.  I  would  go  forth,  as 
Arietta  had  requested,  and  plant  the  seed  of  real 
truth,  justice,  love,  and  equality  in  human  hearts 
to  the  best  of  my  ability,  and  trust  in  the  souls  of 
men  to  further  aid  in  its  universal -and  everlasting 
productiveness.  I  felt  positive  that  the  theory  of 
the  Sagemen  was  right,  and  that  the  soul  just  re- 
leased from  Arietta  was  even  then  beginning  life 
in  a  different  form.  Would  it  not  be  criminal  on 
my  part  to  make  no  effort  to  better  earthly  condi- 
tions for  her  future  welfare?  Perhaps,  conjectured 
I,  the  soul  of  my  own  mother,  who  died  at  the 
time  of  my  birth,  might,  even  at  that  moment,  be 


158  Born  Again 

incased  in  a  degraded  body,  surrounded  by  want 
and  misery,  caused  by  the  operation  of  that  selfish, 
brutal  and  murderous  system,  which  encourages 
the  strong  to  squeeze  the  very  light  and  hope  from 
the  weak,  thus  forcing  and  keeping  mankind  in  a 
state  of  continual  degradation.  A  system  that  was 
created  in  the  beginning  by  savages,  and  which  is 
upheld  at  the  present  time  by  savages.  And  the 
Church,  that  gigantic  symbol  of  ignorance  and 
stupidity,  not  only  fails  to  protest  against  such  a 
beastly  system,  but  actually  advocates  its  continu- 
ance. 

How  long  I  stood  there,  seriously  thinking  on 
this  subject,  and  forming  new  and  laudable  resolu- 
tions for  the  future,  I  do  not  know ;  but  at  last  I 
awoke  to  the  fact  that  I  was  still  nothing  more  nor 
less  than  a  common  adventurer,  held  captive  on  an 
isolated  projecture  in  the  middle  of  the  sea.  This 
became  more  apparent  as  I  faintly  heard  the 
ocean's  waves  dashing  against  the  rocks  on  the 
outside  of  the  place.  So,  following  in  the  direction 
of  the  sounds,  they  became  louder  and  more  distinct, 
until  finally  I  found  myself  looking  up  at  the  very 
hole  through  which  I  had  bored  my  way  so  un- 
ceremoniously. It  was  night,  and  I  could  easily 
distinguish  the  stars  in  the  outer  darkness.  In 
making  a  careful  survey  of  the  surroundings,  I 
discovered  that  it  was  going  to  be  a  much  more 


Born  Again  159 

difficult  task  to  get  out  than  it  was  to  get  in  this 
extraordinary  grotto.  The  aperture  was  located 
about  three  feet  above  my  head ;  was  barely  large 
enough  to  squeeze  through,  and  there  was  no  way 
by  which  I  could  climb  up  to  it.  I  observed, 
however,  that  adjoining  the  hole  there  was  a  huge 
marble  pillar  running  upward  and  outward  in  an 
oblique  slant,  and  wedged  in  its  position  by  several 
other  massive  stones,  but  with  its  end  protruding 
below  the  rest.  So,  without  wasting  any  time,  I 
leaped  up  and  caught  hold  of  it  with  both  hands, 
and  then,  adopting  the  tactics  of  a  gymnast,  I 
began  slowly  working  my  way  through  the  hole 
feet  foremost,  like  an  acrobat  going  over  a  hori- 
zontal bar.  This  feat,  which  required  great  mus- 
cular strength,  flexibility,  and  tenaciousness,  was 
the  very  hardest  physical  performance  I  ever  ac- 
complished, for,  besides  being  unable  to  get  a  firm 
grip  on  it,  I  found,  to  my  dismay,  that  the  great 
pillar  I  clung  to  was  insecure  in  its  position,  and 
threatened  to  fall  and  crush  me  beneath  its 
weight.  And  as  inch  by  inch  I  slowly  and  per- 
sistently worked  my  way  upward  and  outward,  so 
inch  by  inch  did  it  slowly,  but  surely,  work  its  way 
downward.  Passing  my  feet  and  legs  beyond  the 
brink  of  the  opening,  I  doubled  myself  up  in  such 
a  way  that  the  lower  half  of  my  body  rested  upon 
a  sort  of  a  level  platform,  and,  with  head  down- 


160  Born  Again 

ward,  I  pushed  my  way  up  until  I  found  myself 
kneeling  upon  the  crust  I  had  previously  broken 
through,  and  which  I  subsequently  decided  must 
have  been  a  great  pane  of  glass,  covered  by  the 
coagulated  settlings  of  the  air,  which  for  centuries 
had  been  forming  a  solid  coating.  I  remained  in 
a  kneeling  position  for  several  moments,  catching 
my  breath  and  regaining  strength.  I  feared  to 
move,  lest  the  thin  layer  upon  which  I  rested  would 
once  more  give  way  beneath  me.  It  appeared  to 
waver,  as  did  everything  else  around  me.  After  a 
short  rest,  I  carefully  arose  to  a  standing  position, 
and  then  observed  that  I  was  located  in  a  so'rt  of 
a  pit,  surrounded  by  rocks  of  various  shapes  and 
sizes.  As  I  cautiously  climbed  upward,  each  one 
of  them  appeared  to  tremble  at  my  very  touch, 
until  just  as  I  reached  the  topmost  point  the  whole 
mass  apparently  gave  way  at  once,  I  lost  my  bal- 
ance and  fell  forward,  there  was  a  terrible  crash, 
and  after  that  I  became  dizzy  and  confused. 

The  most  peculiar  and  disconnected  sensations 
then  passed  through  my  mind.  First  I  thought 
there  was  a  great  hole  in  the  side  of  my  head, 
which  I  tried  to-  fill  with  small  stones.  Then  my 
head  became  full  of  holes,  and  finally  I  fancied 
that  I  possessed  a  half  dozen  heads  and  all  of 
them  were  cut  and  bleeding.  And  then  appar- 
ently all  of  these  heads  were  suddenly  and 


Born  Again  161 

mysteriously  severed  from  my  body,  and  floated 
away  in  space  like  a  lot  of  toy  balloons.  Following 
that,  it  felt  as  if  every  bone  in  my  body  had  been 
broken,  and  I  was  taking  these  bones  from  their 
places  and  trying  to  repair  them.  Then  1  imag- 
ined that  I  had  several  different  bodies,  and  all 
of  them  were  bruised  and  mangled.  These  forms 
increased  in  numbers  until  I  could  see  nothing 
else  but  them,  and  they  appeared  to  be  struggling 
to  extricate  themselves  from  beneath  a  huge  object 
which  seemed  to  grow  in  size  until  it  was  as  large 
as  a  mountain.  Finally  released,  they  began 
climbing  up  the  mountain  until  the  summit  was 
reached  and  then  gradually  decreased  until  there 
was  but  one  left. 

"What  is  the  matter  with  me?"  I  wondered. 
"  Who  am  I,  what  am  I,  and  where  do  I  belong?  " 
I  tried  to  think  coherently,  but  my  mind  was 
feeble  and  incapable  of  grasping  an  intelligent 
thought.  Day  and  night  went  and  came  many 
times,  but  still  I  remained  on  that  mountain  won- 
dering, wondering,  wondering.  Sometimes  I 
would  expand  until  I  felt  larger  than  the  moun- 
tain itself;  then  again  I  would  shrink  to  the  size  of 
a  flea.  One  time  I  would  feel  as  if  I  were  up  near 
the  North  Pole,  surrounded  by  ice  and  freezing  to 
death.  At  another  time  I  would  imagine  that  I 
was  in  the  middle  of  the  Sahara  Desert,  being 


162  Born  Again 

roasted  alive  by  the  scorching  rays  of  the  sun. 
And  still  again,  I  would  feel  that  I  was  ship- 
wrecked upon  a  barren  island,  and  was  slowly 
dying  for  the  want  of  food  and  water.  Sometimes 
I  fancied  that  I  could  see  ships  all  about  me,  and 
I  would  yell,  and  roar  at  the  top  of  my  voice  to 
attract  attention,  but  without  results,  as  they  would 
pass  beyond  view  without  taking  any  notice  of  me. 
At  other  times  it  seemed  that  ships  would  cast 
their  anchors  right  in  front  of  my  eyes,  and  appar- 
ently remain  stationed  there  for  weeks  and  months 
at  a  time,  and  yet  no  one  would  come  to  my  assist- 
ance. At  last  there  appeared  to  be  ten  thousand 
ships  all  of  the  same  pattern  lowering  small  boats 
into  the  water,  and  these  boats  manned  by  stal- 
wart oarsmen  started  to  race  with  each  other  in 
my  direction.  What  an  evenly  matched  contest. 
On,  on,  on  they  came,  bunched  closely  together, 
each  using  the  same  uniform  stroke  as  if  all  were 
guided  by  the  same  coxswain.  Now  they  were 
right  upon  me.  "  Great  race,"  I  shouted,  as  they 
came  within  hearing  distance.  "  Hurrah !  Hurrah ! 
Hurrah!  "  "The  poor  devil  is  mad,"  I  fancied  I 
heard  someone  exclaim,  and  my  mind  became  a 
blank. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

FIRST  VOICE  :  "  This  is  a  most  peculiar  case 
of  enteric  fever,  in  which  the  patient  baffles  all 
medical  aid  towards  a  cure.  The  fellow  has  been 
out  of  his  head  ever  since  he  was  brought  here, 
two  months  ago,  and  fancies  that  he  has  been  in  a 
trance  since  the  time  of  Noah  and  the  Ark.  He 
has  a  strange  hallucination  that  he  can  be  awak- 
ened from  his  protracted  nap  by  a  kiss  from  a 
certain  female,  whom  he  describes  as  Arietta  the 
Beautiful.  Although  he  is  as  crazy  as  a  loon,  yet 
some  of  his  utterances  are  really  remarkable  for 
the  depth  of  logic  they  contain.  The  case  has  its 
amusing  side  also,  for  every  woman  by  the  name 
of  Arietta  who  visits  this  hospital  cannot  resist 
the  temptation  of  kissing  the  man,  in  order  to  as- 
certain whether  they  possess  the  secret  charm  to 
restore  his  right  senses.  But  so  far  the  oscula- 
tory  experiment  has  proved  a  dire  failure.  He 
bears  evidence  of  being  a  handsome  and  distin- 
guished person,  notwithstanding  he  is  a  charity 
patient,  and  without  friends.  His  identification  is 
unknown,  he  having  been  picked  up  on  the  street 
in  his  present  condition  by  the  police,  who  had 
him  sent  here.  I  fully  believe — but  Miss,  you 

163 


164  Born  Again 

are  crying.  Evidently  your  nature  is  too  emotional 
for  the  sick  room,  so  come,  we  will  pass  along." 

SECOND  VOICE  :  "  No,  wait  a  moment,  Doctor. 
I — I  think — I  am  positive  that  I  know  this  man. 
In  fact,  I  was  very  well  acquainted  with  him  a  few 
years  ago.  It  all  seems  so  strange,  but — well — 
you  see — he  often  told  me  that  he  loved  me.  Yes, 
my  name  is  Arietta,  but  I  did  not  love  him,  nor 
even  like  him.  My  father  and  mother  hated  him, 
and  we  all  had  to  secretly  leave  home  and  travel 
abroad  in  order  for  me  to  avoid  his  undesirable  at- 
tentions. But  notwithstanding  that,  my  heart  now 
bleeds  for  him  in  his  terrible  plight,  and  I  want  to 
do  something  for  him.  My  conscience  would  not 
allow  me  to  pass  along  without  trying  to  aid  him. 
You  say  that  in  his  ravings  he  claims  that  a  kiss 
from  Arietta  would  save  him.  I  have  never  done 
such  a  thing  before  in  my  life,  but  now  an  irresist- 
ible force  from  within  has  taken  possession  of  me 
and  I  feel  that  it  is  my  duty  to  try  the  experiment 
myself,  and  see  if  it  will  have  the  effect  of  restoring 
his  normal  condition.  Therefore,  Doctor,  whether 
this  strange  method  proves  efficacious  or  not,  I 
shall  rely  upon  your  honor  to  keep  the  secret,  and 
never  mention  the  incident  to  him.  If  he  knew  of 
it  I  should  die  of  shame.  My  parents  would  dis- 
own me  for  such  an  act." 

As  though  awakening  from  a  long  and  profound 


Born  Again  165 

sleep  the  aforesaid  colloquy  seemed  to  have  been 
impressed  upon  my  mind,  and  then  I  opened  my 
eyes  and  looked  about  in  astonishment.  The 
strangeness  of  my  position  and  surroundings  sur- 
prised me  beyond  expression.  I  was  lying  upon 
my  back  in  a  small  narrow  bed  stationed  within  a 
large  oblong  room  about  one  hundred  by  fifty  feet 
in  dimensions.  Long  rows  of  little  white  beds  ex- 
tended from  one  end  of  the  apartment  to  the  other, 
each  containing  the  form  of  a  human  being.  Most 
of  these  forms  appeared  to  be  soundly  sleeping,  some 
lay  awake  silently  meditating,  while  others  tossed 
about  nervously  from  one  position  to  another  as  if 
in  terrible  agony.  An  occasional  howl  of  torture 
rent  the  air.  Moving  hither  and  thither  among 
the  different  beds  were  women  attired  in  white 
dresses  and  wearing  little  white  caps  on  their 
heads.  They  carried  in  their  hands,  spoons,  tum- 
blers, trays,  and  various  instruments  and  vessels 
of  peculiar  design. 

At  the  front  of  my  bed  stood  a  man  of  medium 
height  and  build,  with  a  heavy  reddish  mustache 
and  pointed  beard.  At  one  side,  half  way  between 
the  head  and  foot  of  my  bed,  was  the  figure  of  a 
woman,  apparently  about  twenty-one  years  of  age. 
She  was  tall,  slender,  graceful,  and  magnificently 
gowned  in  street  clothes.  Her  head  was  shapely 
and  covered  with  an  abundance  of  dark  brown 


166  Born  Again 

hair.  Her  physiognomy  was  intellectually  strong, 
and  the  whole  cast  of  her  features  showed  extraor- 
dinary beauty.  Her  eyes  were  clear  and  bright, 
and  expressed  a  tender  and  sympathetic  nature. 
She  was  looking  straight  at  me  in  a  half-startled 
sort  of  a  manner,  and  appeared  to  be  backing 
away  from  the  bed  upon  which  I  lay.  As  my 
eyes  met  her  steady  gaze  I  involuntarily  exclaimed, 
"Arietta ! "  Then  instantly  my  memory  returned, 
and  I  remembered  all  that  had  taken  place,  as  ex- 
plained in  the  preceding  chapters. 

Notwithstanding,  however,  that  my  mind  be- 
came clear  and  well-balanced,  I  became  extremely 
puzzled  as  I  looked  at  this  beautiful  woman,  to 
note  that  she  bore  a  striking  resemblance  to  the 
sublime  being,  who  had  just  passed  away  among 
the  remnants  of  Sageland,  and  I  became  still  fur- 
ther confounded  when  she  timidly  approached  me 
and  softly  said  :  "  You  are  John  Convert,  are  you 
not?" 

"Yes,"  answered  I,  "that  is  my  name." 

"And  do  you  recognize  me?  "  inquired  she. 

"  I  recognize  in  you  a  living  demonstration  and 
positive  realization  of  the  principle  of  re-incarna- 
tion, as  embodied  in  the  Sageman's  theory  of  Nat- 
ural Law,"  answered  I,  slowly  and  deliberately. 
"  I  recognize  in  you  the  soul  of  Arietta,  of  Sage- 
land,  my  eternal  companion,  and  a  fulfilment  of 


Born  Again  167 

her  prophecy  that  she  would  be  born  again.  But 
while  I  make  this  declaration  with  the  utmost 
positiveness,  still  I  am  at  a  loss  to  understand  how 
such  a  thing  could  be,  as  the  soul  of  that  lovely 
being,  having  but  just  left  its  material  body, 
should,  according  to  Natural  Law,  have  attached 
itself  to  an  embryo  form,  while  you  are  a  full- 
grown  woman."  At  these  words  she  appeared 
considerably  amazed  for  a  moment,  but  quickly 
recovering  herself,  she  said  with  much  sympathy 
and  tenderness  of  feeling :  "  Come,  now,  Mr.  Con- 
vert, try  and  think  clearly  and  talk  sensibly. 
Don't  you  recollect  how,  three  years  ago,  we  be- 
came acquainted  in  Paris ;  how  persistently  you 
followed  me  all  over  Europe,  then  crossed  the 
Atlantic  aboard  the  same  steamer,  and  finally 
journeyed  out  West  to  my  home?  Don't  you 
remember  how  angry  Papa  became,  and  how  he 
threatened  you  with  dire  punishment  if  you  did 
not  stop  annoying  us?" 

"No,"  said  I  emphatically,  "there  must  be 
some  mistake,  for  I  have  never  visited  Paris  and  I 
distinctly  recollect  having  been  in  Japan  three 
years  ago,  as  I  celebrated  my  nineteenth  birthday 
in  Tokio." 

"  Now  that  is  absurd,"  said  she,  with  a  mingled 
look  of  pity  and  suppressed  amusement.  "  Three 
years  ago  you  told  me  that  you  were  forty  years 


168  Born  Again 

old.  Don't  you  recollect  how  you  once  cautioned 
me  not  to  consider  you  an  old  man  simply  because 
your  hair  was  white,  and  how  angry  you  became 
because  I  called  you  Grandpa?  Come  now> 
think  real  hard." 

At  these  words  I  began  to  seriously  doubt  my 
own  identity,  but  after  a  moment  of  calm  delibera- 
tion I  replied,  "  No,  I  do  not  recollect  any  such 
happenings,  and  moreover,  I  am  not  forty  years 
of  age,  but  twenty-two,  and  neither  is  my  hair 
white  but  black  as  you  can  plainly  see.  Will  you 
please  tell  me  where  I  am  ?  My  mind  is  a  trifle 
confused  at  the  strange  surroundings." 

"  You  are  in  the  Ruff  Hospital,  New  York," 
answered  she.  "I,  myself,  have  been  spending 
some  time  in  this  city,  and,  strangely  enough,  took 
a  notion  that  I  should  like  to  see  the  different  hos- 
pitals. It  was  purely  accidental  that  I  ran  across 
you.  The  doctor  says  you  have  typhoid  fever, 
but,"  she  added,  in  an  encouraging  manner,  "you 
will  soon  be  well.  So  cheer  up,  and  try  to  con- 
centrate your  mind,  so  that  you  can  think  prop- 
erly." 

"  Ruff  Hospital,  New  York  !  "  ejaculated  I,  in 
astonishment.  "  How  the  deuce  did  I  get  away 
over  here?  Oh,  I  understand ;  I  fell  among  the 
rocks  and  was  hurt ;  then  the  sailors  came  and 
rescued  me,  and  I  was  brought  here.  That  seems 


Born  Again  169 

like  a  few  moments  ago,  but  I  presume  at  least  a 
month  must  have  elapsed  since  or  the  ship  could 
not  have  reached  this  port.  What  month  is  this, 
January  ? " 

"No,  this  is  the  month  of  March,"  replied  she. 

"  March  !  "  exclaimed  I.  "  Great  heavens,  how 
the  time  has  flown !  Why,  that  is  about  three 
months  that  I  have  known  absolutely  nothing. 
Let's  see,  it  was  December  5th  that  I  was  thrown 
overboard,  and  it  must  have  been  December  7th 
that  Arietta  died.  That's  right,  December  7, 1881 
— I  shall  always  remember  that  date  and  keep  it 
holy.  It  must  be  now  March,  1882." 

"  Why,  Mr.  Convert,  you  are  certainly  dream- 
ing," responded  she,  "  this  the  year  1903,  not  1882. 
But  how  strange  that  you  should  get  so  mixed  in 
the  dates — December  7,  1881,  was  the  day  I  was 
born.  That  was  over  twenty-one  years  ago,  instead 
of  three  months,  as  you  fancy." 

At  this  juncture  the  red-whiskered  individual 
came  forward  and  said  :  "  It  seems  to  be  a  hopeless 
case,  Miss.  He  has  talked  in  that  same  strain  ever 
since  he  came  here.  Perhaps  after  his  fever  abates 
somewhat  he  may  regain  his  equanimity,  but  to 
me  it  looks  as  if  his  mind  will  always  be  unbal- 
anced. He  has  a  nasty  scar  right  over  the  tem- 
poral region,  which  portends  ill  for  his  future 
reason.  Perhaps  it  would  be  better  not  to  talk  to 


170  Born  Again 

him  any  further  at  present.  He  is  awfully  weak, 
and  appears  more  excited  than  usual.  You  have 
evidently  made  some  impression  upon  him,  how- 
ever, and  if  you  would  visit  him  every  few  days  he 
might  eventually  be  able  to  recognize  you,  which 
would  have  a  strong  tendency  to  set  him  mentally 
straight  again." 

"  Very  well,"  said  she,  hesitatingly,  as  if  not 
anxious  to  go.  "  May  I  call  and  see  him  tomor- 
row, Doctor  ?  " 

"  There  are  only  three  visiting  days  here  each 
week,  Miss ;  Sundays,  Wednesdays  and  Fridays 
between  the  hours  of  three  and  four  p.  M.  But 
any  time  you  call,  if  you  will  ask  at  the  office  for 
Doctor  Savage,  that  is  my  name,  I  shall  consider 
it  a  pleasant  duty  to  render  you  any  service  within 
my  power,"  replied  he,  looking  at  her  with  unsup- 
pressed  admiration,  of  which  she  apparently  took 
no  notice.  Then  continuing,  he  said,  "  Would 
you  kindly  give  me  your  card  that  I  may  know 
your  full  name  in  case  you  call  at  other  times 
than  the  regular  visiting  hours?  " 

She  opened  her  pocket  book  as  if  to  take  out  a 
card,  stopped  and  reflected  a  moment,  and  then 
said,  "  Well,  never  mind  my  last  name ;  just 
remember  me  as  Arietta,"  and  before  I  could  col- 
lect my  wits  sufficiently  to  voice  my  agitated 
thoughts  they  passed  from  the  room  together. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

As  I  lay  musing  over  the  strange  occurrences 
recorded  in  the  previous  chapter,  and  wondering 
whether  my  entire  life  was  a  reality  or  merely  a 
peculiar  dream,  one  of  the  white-capped  nurses 
strode  up  to  the  side  of  my  bed  and  without  the 
slightest  warning  roughly  pushed  a  little  glass 
tube  in  my  mouth.  Not  knowing  whether  she 
wanted  me  to  swallow  it  or  was  merely  trying  to 
puncture  a  hole  in  my  tongue,  I  put  it  out  again 
and  asked  what  she  intended  doing. 

"  Now  look  here,"  said  she,  in  an  irritated  way, 
"  I  have  about  lost  all  patience  with  you,  and 
unless  you  do  as  I  tell  you  hereafter  I  shall  have 
the  orderly  punish  you  again." 

"But,"  said  I,  in  amazement,  "you  have  not 
mentioned  yet  what  you  would  have  me  do." 

"  I  have  told  you  fully  a  hundred  times  to  put 
this  thermometer  under  your  tongue  and  keep  it 
there,"  replied  she,  exhibiting  considerable  temper, 
as  she  viciously  jammed  it  once  more  into  my 
mouth  and  twisted  it  under  my  tongue.  "You 
are  about  the  biggest  chump  that  ever  came  into 
this  hospital,"  continued  she,  grasping  my  wrist 

171 


172  Born  Again 

as  though  she  intended  breaking  it  and  simultan- 
eously taking  my  pulse  and  temperature. 

A  few  moments  later  she  jerked  the  thermometer 
from  my  mouth,  glanced  at  it  hurriedly  and  then 
entered  a  record  upon  a  chart  suspended  from  the 
head  of  my  bed.  Then  calling  one  of  the  male 
attendants,  she  instructed  him  to  fill  the  tub  pre- 
paratory to  giving  me  an  ice  bath.  This  attend- 
ant went  to  the  corner  of  the  room  from  whence 
he  secured  a  bath  tub  on  wheels,  which  he 
pushed  over  to  the  side  of  my  bed.  The  tub  was 
already  partly  filled  with  water,  and  I  afterward 
learned  that  owing  to  the  laziness  and  filthiness 
of  the  attendants,  the  same  water  was  often  used 
over  and  over  again  for  the  different  typhoid 
patients.  I  observed  that  this  attendant,  who  was 
otherwise  called  an  orderly,  was  about  as  ignorant 
and  degraded  a  specimen  of  humanity  as  a  much 
boasted  civilization  could  possibly  breed. 

He  was  about  six  feet  tall,  round-shouldered, 
knock-kneed,  and  weighed  about  two  hundred 
pounds  of  flabby  flesh,  mostly  covered  by  filthy 
garments.  His  head  was  pyramidal  in  shape,  and 
covered  by  a  mass  of  unkempt  red  hair.  He  had 
practically  no  forehead.  His  eyes  were  dull  and 
bloodshot.  His  nose  was  flat  and  bent  to  one  side, 
and  his  whole  face  was  covered  with  pimples.  His 
mouth  was  wide  and  beastly,  and  filled  with  to- 


Born  Again  173 

bacco.  His  mustache  was  irregular,  and  dyed 
almost  to  the  roots  by  tobacco  juice.  His  breath 
was  odoriferous  with  fumes  of  whiskey,  cigarettes, 
and  foul  stomach  disorders,  causing  a  poisonous 
stench  to  pollute  the  surrounding  atmosphere. 
One  could  not  look  upon  him  without  a  feeling  of 
sickening  disgust.  He  was  a  twentieth  century 
American  civilized  Christian.  He  was  not,  of 
course,  the  highest  type  of  a  civilized  Christian, 
but  nevertheless  he  was  of  a  high  enough  order  for 
a  Christian  community  to  breed,  rear,  and  put  in 
charge  of  its  sick  and  unfortunate  members.  As 
he  pushed  the  tub  along  he  carelessly  allowed  it  to 
strike  the  end  of  my  bed,  which  gave  me  a  shock 
as  though  I  had  been  pierced  by  a  thousand  dag- 
gers, causing  an  involuntary  groan  to  escape  from 
my  lips. 

"  Shut  up  there,  you  old  duffer,"  said  he,  look- 
ing at  me  in  a  stupid,  expressionless  sort  of  a  way, 
"  you  are  not  hurt  yet.  I'll  give  you  something 
to  cry  about  if  you  don't  quit  making  such  a  fuss 
over  nothing.  You're  the  biggest  baby  I  ever 


saw." 


Having  fixed  the  tub  in  position,  put  some 
pieces  of  ice  into  the  water,  and  adjusted  a  small 
portable  partition  around  my  bed,  which  obstructed 
the  view  of  the  other  patients,  he  called  for  the  as- 
sistance of  another  attendant,  and  began  prepara- 


174  Born  Again 

tions  to  put  me  into  the  tub.  As  they  uncovered 
me,  I  glanced  down  at  my  emaciated  form  and 
was  astounded  at  my  own  appearance.  Nothing 
now  remained  of  the  once  muscular  and  powerful 
frame  I  had  always  felt  so  proud  of,  but  sickly 
looking  skin  and  bones.  Raising  my  arm  to  the 
level  of  my  eyes  I  discovered  that  it  was  shriveled, 
and  ghastly  to  behold,  and  it  fell  back  to  my  side 
with  a  sickening  thud  for  the  want  of  strength  to 
remain  erect.  It  seemed  as  if  a  great  fiery  furnace 
was  located  within  me  and  that  I  was  fairly  burn- 
ing alive.  Ten  thousand  different  pains  were 
shooting  back  and  forth  in  every  part  of  my  body, 
but  the  most  excruciating  of  all  was  a  terrible  pain 
in  the  center  of  my  back,  which  caused  me  to  think 
that  my  spinal  column  had  been  dislocated.  And 
then  as  if  all  of  the  tortures  of  a  refined  civilization 
had  suddenly  been  thrust  upon  me,  as  though 
some  supernatural  hellish  agency  was  instrumental 
in  causing  me  to  go  the  full  limit  of  human  suffer- 
ing, those  two  devilish  orderlies  took  hold  of  me, 
one  by  the  head  and  the  other  by  the  feet,  and 
without  any  leverage  whatever  to  break  the  strain 
upon  my  backbone,  they  raised  and  then  dumped 
me  into  the  tub  of  ice-water  below.  I  had  always 
considered  myself  invulnerable  to  bodily  pain,  and 
from  early  youth  had  schooled  myself  against  out- 
ward manifestation  of  suffering,  no  matter  what  the 


Born  Again  175 

circumstances  might  be,  but  on  this  occasion  the 
power  of  resistance  deserted  me  entirely  and  I  gave 
vent  to  a  howl  of  rage  like  the  bellowing  of  a  mad- 
dened bull,  and  partly  arising,  endeavored  to  clutch 
the  throat  of  the  unfeeling  beast  at  my  head,  but 
too  weak  to  accomplish  my  purpose  I  fell  back  into 
the  tub  exhausted.  At  the  same  time  the  orderly 
took  hold  of  my  own  throat  and  almost  strangling 
me,  beat  my  head  against  the  tub  several  times 
cursing  me  under  his  breath  in  the  vilest  of 
language  at  the  same  time. 

"  Look  out  you  don't  kill  him,"  cautioned  the 
other  orderly  at  the  foot  of  the  tub,  "  or  we  might 
have  to  go  through  another  of  those  damned  inves- 
tigations." 

Just  then  the  doctor  and  nurse  came  within  the 
inclosure,  and  inquired  as  to  the  cause  of  the  com- 
motion. 

"  This  damned  idiot  has  broken  loose  again,  and 
I  am  teaching  him  how  to  behave  himself,"  replied 
the  orderly. 

"  Well,  he  certainly  needs  a  lesson  in  good  be- 
havior," chimed  in  the  nurse  ;  "  I  cannot  under- 
stand why  he  has  not  been  sent  over  to  the  Island 
for  more  strenuous  treatment  long  ago." 

"  Why  don't  you  do  as  told?  "  inquired  the  be- 
whiskered  Dr.  Savage,  in  a  harsh  tone  of  voice,  as 
lie  approached  close  to  me,  but  I  was  too  weak 


176  Born  Again 

and  exhausted  to  answer,  and  merely  looked  from 
one  to  the  other  with  the  utmost  feeling  of  con- 
tempt. After  censuring  me  sternly  and  advising 
me  to  behave  myself  in  the  future,  the  doctor 
strolled  away  as  if  such  incidents  were  of  trifling 
importance. 

I  was  kept  in  that  tub  of  ice-water,  freezing, 
for  fifteen  minutes,  while  the  nurse  and  orderlies 
lazily  rubbed  my  arms,  legs,  and  trunk,  and  poured 
pitcher  after  pitcher  of  ice-water  over  my  head,  in 
an  effort  to  reduce  the  fever.  It  was  a  barbarous 
method  of  treatment,  and  seemed  of  several  hours' 
duration,  but  it  allayed  that  intense  burning 
sensation,  and  put  new  life  and  vigor  into  me. 
As  they  were  about  to  transfer  me  back  to  the  bed 
again,  I  quietly  informed  the  nurse  that  my  back 
was  in  a  terrible  condition,  and  requested  that 
the  orderlies  be  instructed  to  handle  me  a  little 
more  carefully,  and  to  take  hold  of  my  body  in- 
stead of  my  head  and  feet  when  lifting  me  up, 
so  that  the  strain  would  be  less  on  the  middle  of 
my  back. 

"  There  is  nothing  the  matter  with  your  back," 
snapped  she.  "  I  have  told  you  many  times  before 
that  you  only  imagine  your  back  hurts.  Further- 
more, we  understand  our  business  without  any  ad- 
vice from  you." 

And  with  this  rejoinder,  the  orderlies  once  more 


Born  Again  177 

took  hold  of  my  head  and  heels,  and  after  much 
tugging  and  twisting,  managed  to  lift  me  up  into 
the  bed.  This  time  the  pain  seemed  even  greater 
to  bear  than  before,  but,  summoning  all  my  will 
power,  I  managed  to  take  the  brutal  treatment  in 
silence,  and  said  no  more.  Back  upon  the  bed 
again,  shivering  and  shaking  with  cold  as  though 
my  bones  would  break,  I  was  covered  with  heavy 
blankets,  and  shortly  afterwards  fell  asleep,  thor- 
oughly exhausted,  and  feeling  assured  beyond  a 
doubt  that  I  had  once  more  returned  to  civilization. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

It  is  not  my  intention  to  give  a  full  description 
of  hospital  life  as  it  came  under  my  personal  obser- 
vation, nor  to  recount  the  many  cruel  acts  or  cases 
of  stupid  negligence  on  the  part  of  the  house  staff 
as  perpetrated  upon  myself  and  other  patients,  dur- 
ing my  stay  in  the  Ruff  Hospital  as  a  ward  patient, 
as  to  do  the  subject  justice  would  require  at  least  a 
volume  in  itself.  Neither  is  it  my  desire  to  hold 
responsible  any  particular  person  or  persons  for 
the  existence  of  such  a  barbarous  state  of  affairs,  in 
which  degraded  wretches  inflict  punishment  upon 
the  sick,  knowing  that  this  is  but  one  of  the  logical 
results  bred  from  the  debasing  system  kept  in 
force  by  a  semi-intelligent  class  of  selfish  brutes, 
who  are  crafty  enough  to  gain  control  of  others  by 
teaching  the  cruel  and  savage  doctrine  known  as 
the  " survival  of  the  fittest."  I  have  nothing  but 
a  feeling  of  compassion  and  sorrow  for  those  abject 
creatures  who  mistreated  me  when  I  was  sick, 
knowing  that  they,  as  well  as  those  whom  they 
mistreated,  were  but  the  victims  of  this  pernicious 
system. 

In  the  desperate  struggle  for  a  mere  existence, 

178 


Born  Again  179 

most  men  and  women  are  forced  into  employment 
for  which  they  are  entirely  unfitted,  and  conse- 
quently take  no  other  interest  in  their  work  than 
that  of  receiving  their  weekly  or  monthly  stipend. 
This  fact  was  thoroughly  demonstrated  to  me  by 
the  action  of  several  nurses  who  appeared  to  look 
upon  their  work  as  tasks  to  be  executed  mechanic- 
ally, instead  of  duties  to  be  performed  with  pleas- 
ure. Then  again,  others  who  really  preferred  the 
work  were  either  kept  away  from  it  entirely,  or 
else  made  dull,  peevish  and  irritable  by  the  great 
number  of  hours  they  were  forced  to  be  on  duty 
each  day,  thus  turning  what  should  have  been 
pleasant  employment  into  a  drudgery.  And  like 
the  nurses,  so  were  the  orderlies ;  their  daily  work 
hours  were  so  long  and  their  pay  so  small  that 
only  the  least  intelligent  and  most  stupid  moral 
idiots  could  be  secured  to  take  positions  that  should 
be  filled  by  men  of  the  very  highest  intelligence, 
character  and  sympathy. 

The  physicians  themselves  I  found  to  be  inex- 
perienced youths,  generally  masquerading  under  a 
set  of  whiskers,  which  some  people  are  foolish 
enough  to  mistake  for  brains  and  ability.  Coming 
direct  from  the  medical  colleges,  they  accepted 
these  positions  in  order  to  gain  some  practical  ex- 
perience at  the  expense  of  the  lives  of  the  hospital 
patients. 


180  Born  Again 

The  bricklayer,  who  devotes  his  life  to  the  hon- 
orable work  of  building  the  edifice  ;  the  hod  carrier, 
who  gives  his  best  services  to  the  community  in 
an  equally  honorable  employment ;  the  locomotive 
engineer,  who  safely  carries  from  city  to  city  a 
train  load  of  human  beings  each  day  for  many 
years,  are  only  fit  to  be  practiced  upon  by  inex- 
perienced physicians,  and  abused  by  irritable 
nurses  and  cruel  orderlies,  if  they  are  finally  over- 
come by  sickness  and  enter  a  charity  hospital  for 
treatment. 

For  several  days  I  lay  upon  my  little  ward  cot 
in  the  Ruff  Hospital,  with  my  life  hanging  in  the 
balance,  and  obliged  to  accept  for  succor  the  abuse 
and  mistreatment  of  an  inferior  house  staff.  And 
worse  still,  I  had  to  be  an  eye  witness  to  cruelties 
imposed  upon  other  and  less  fortunate  sufferers 
than  myself.  I  feel  sure  that  many  a  poor  fellow 
that  I  saw  carried  away  upon  a  stretcher,  a  life- 
less corpse,  had  given  up  all  hope  of  recovery  and 
died,  for  the  want  of  a  few  cheering  words  and 
kindly  sympathy  from  some  one,  instead  of  the 
constant  abuse  and  brutality  he  was  subjected  to. 

I  fully  believe  that  I  myself  must  have  inevita- 
bly succumbed  to  my  pitiless  treatment,  had  it  not 
been  for  the  fact  that  the  young  girl,  Arietta,  vis- 
ited me  each  day  for  a  half  hour,  bestowing  upon 
me  a  tender  sympathy,  and  manifesting  the  great- 
est concern  for  my  welfare  and  recovery. 


Born  Again  181 

I  was  placed  in  a  most  peculiar  position.  I  could 
get  no  information  whatsoever  from  the  doctors, 
nurses,  or  orderlies,  and  even  Arietta  said  very 
little,  and  cautioned  me  against  talking  or  exciting 
myself  in  any  manner.  I  learned  enough,  how- 
ever, to  know  that  twenty-one  years  had  actually 
elapsed  since  my  wonderful  experience  with  Ar- 
ietta of  Sageland,  and  felt  convinced  beyond  a 
doubt  that  the  beautiful  young  girl,  who  took  such 
an  interest  in  my  welfare,  was  impelled  by  the 
same  soul  as  my  noble  instructress  in  Natural  Law. 
But  I  was  intensely  mystified  and  unable  to  con- 
ceive what  had  become  of  the  time  between  the  going 
of  the  one  and  the  coming  of  the  other  Arietta. 

Twenty-one  years  had  been  swallowed  up  as 
completely  as  if  they  had  never  been.  Nearly 
one-half  of  my  life  had  passed  away,  of  which  I 
could  give  absolutely  no  account.  A  look  into  the 
mirror  was  a  convincing  proof  of  this  fact,  for 
therein  I  saw  a  white-haired  and  premature  old 
man,  with  a  thin,  haggard  and  drawn  countenance, 
which  plainly  showed  the  results  of  having  lived  a 
life  of  hardship,  and  almost  unrecognizable  as  my 
own  face.  My  heavy  black  mustache  was  gone, 
and  in  its  place  nothing  but  white  stubble  re- 
mained. The  more  I  endeavored  to  reach  some 
tangible  solution  of  the  mystery,  the  more  confused 
I  became.  According  to  the  girl,  Arietta's  story,  I 


182  Born  Again 

had  been  introduced  to  her  at  a  reception  in  Paris 
three  years  previously,  had  apparently  fallen  des- 
perately in  love  with  her,  and  made  myself  obnox- 
ious by  following  her  everywhere  she  went  for 
several  months.  But  as  neither  she  nor  her  parents 
liked  me,  I  was  finally  eluded,  and  had  not  been 
seen  for  over  two  years.  According  to  her  account, 
I  was  generally  looked  upon  as  a  rich  gentleman 
of  leisure  and  bad  habits,  who  did  nothing  but 
travel  and  spend  money  recklessly.  This  being 
the  case,  the  foremost  questions  of  my  mind  were : 
Where  had  I  gotten  the  money  to  spend  so  ex- 
travagantly ?  Had  I  lived  those  twenty-one  years 
as  a  rational  being,  earning  and  accumulating 
wealth  and  still  not  knowing  anything  about  it  ? 
Arietta  of  Sageland  had  told  me  that  there  was  no 
such  thing  as  a  freak  of  nature,  and  that  every- 
thing worked  according  to  Natural  Law,  but  my 
case  certainly  seemed  to  be  an  exception  to  the 
general  run  of  things.  What  would  be  the  final 
outcome  of  my  mysterious  career,  was  a  question  to 
be  answered  that  was  entirely  beyond  the  limits  of 
my  imagination.  It  gave  me  a  severe  pain  in  the 
head  to  contemplate  beyond  the  surface  of  the 
subject,  and  I  finally  allowed  the  whole  matter  to 
slip  from  my  attention  and  bent  my  energies 
toward  recovery  from  the  effects  of  my  physical 
ailments. 


Born  Again  183 

One  day  Arietta  said  to  me  in  as  kindly  a 
manner  as  possible :  "  Mr.  Convert,  the  doctor 
informs  me  that  the  reason  you  do  not  get  well  is 
because  you  lack  the  will  power  to  do  so." 

"Will  power,"  exclaimed  I,  "my  dear  sweet 
girl,  that  is  all  I  have  left.  It  is  the  only  force 
that  is  keeping  me  alive  in  the  face  of  the  crudest 
treatment  man  could  possibly  receive  at  the  hands 
of  his  fellow  beings.  Without  will  power  I  should 
have  been  killed  long  ago  by  these  people,  but 
through  that  agency  alone  I  have  been  enabled  to 
defy  death  and  I  promise  you  that  I  shall  get  well 
in  spite  of  them." 

"  Why,  Mr.  Convert,  how  can  you  talk  so 
harshly  against  these  kind  people?  I  am  sure 
they  are  doing  everything  within  their  power  to 
make  you  well." 

"  You  think  so  because  you  know  nothing 
of  the  case,"  answered  I.  "You  simply  visit  this 
place  for  a  half  hour  each  day,  at  a  time  that 
everything  is  moving  along  smoothly,  and  merely 
get  a  surface  view  of  matters.  It  is  my  earnest 
hope  that  you  may  never  get  a  practical  insight 
into  these  things  by  being  placed  in  the  same 
position  as  myself  or  these  other  poor  fellows  all 
around  me.  If  all  the  poor  unfortunates  I  have 
seen  carried  out  of  this  ward,  corpses,  have  died  for 
want  of  the  same  kind  of  will  power  I  require, 


184  Born  Again 

then  all  I  can  say  is  that  the  doctors  here  should 
be  held  responsible  for  a  great  many  cases  of 
actual  murder." 

"  Why,  Mr.  Convert,  what  do  you  mean  by  talk- 
ing in  this  way?"  inquired  she. 

"Just  this,"  replied  I,  "these  doctors  are  treat- 
ing me  for  the  wrong  ailment.  I  am  suffering  no 
more  from  the  effects  of  typhoid  fever  than  you 
are,  but  still  these  doctors  are  trying  to  cure  me 
of  a  malady  which  does  not  exist.  Since  recover- 
ing my  memory  I  have  observed  that  the  many 
typhoid  patients  all  around  me  have  been  bathed 
from  five  to  ten  times  daily,  while  my  fever  rises 
to  a  point  which  necessitates  an  ice  bath  to  reduce 
it  but  once  each  day,  and  always  at  the  same  hour, 
five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  In  any  part  of  the 
world  where  malaria  is  prevalent  these  symptoms 
indicate  nothing  more  nor  less  than  chills  and  fever 
and  should  be  cured  within  a  day  or  two  by  a  few 
doses  of  quinine.  I  have  explained  this  to  the 
doctors  several  times,  but  with  a  wisdom  born  of 
book  learning  they  have  contemptuously  disre- 
garded my  advice  and  still  continue  to  treat  me 
for  enteric  fever,  and  then  lay  the  blame  upon  me 
for  not  getting  well.  Do  not  doubt  me,  my  dear 
girl,  I  know  what  I  am  talking  about.  Up  to  a 
few  days  ago  my  memory  was  obscured,  but  now  I 
am  in  my  right  senses  and  fully  capable  of  using 


Born  Again  185 

all  of  my  reasoning  faculties  to  their  fullest  extent. 
Some  day  I  shall  explain  many  strange  things  to 
you,  of  which  you  know  nothing.  But  now  I 
must  devote  all  of  my  thoughts  and  forces  toward 
regaining  my  former  physical  strength,  and  like- 
wise increase  my  moral  and  mental  vigor  for  a 
future  great  work." 

Arietta  said  no  more  at  that  time,  but  to  my 
great  surprise,  the  next  day  I  was  transferred  from 
the  charity  ward  to  a  paid  private  room  in  another 
part  of  the  hospital.  The  furnishings  of  this  room 
were  of  the  most  luxurious  description,  and  the 
nurse  informed  me  that  it  was  the  very  best  and 
highest  priced  apartment  in  the  building.  I  after- 
ward learned  that  the  cost  of  renting  this  room, 
including  attendance,  was  one  hundred  dollars  per 
week.  Arietta  had  secured  it  for  me.  It  was 
really  remarkable  how  quickly  the  value  of  my 
life  increased  in  the  eyes  of  those  hospital  attend- 
ants, by  the  expenditure  of  a  little  money.  From 
a  worthless  proletariat  I  was  suddenly  transformed 
into  a  man  of  great  importance.  There  were  two 
private  nurses  to  wait  on  me,  and  they  moved  with 
the  celerity  of  antelopes  in  response  to  my  slightest 
bidding.  They  appeared  to  be  bubbling  over  with 
kindness  and  attention,  and  seemed  to  anticipate 
my  every  want.  The  orderlies  treated  me  as  if  I 
were  the  crowned  ruler  of  the  universe,  while  the 


186  Born  Again 

doctors  displayed  an  unnatural  politeness  tliat  was 
almost  amusing.  I  found  out  later  that  Arietta 
was  to  fee  them  all  handsomely  in  case  of  my 
early  recovery.  My  new  nurses  were  always  ready 
to  answer  questions  and  give  me  any  information  I 
wanted. 

Upon  arriving  at  my  new  and  sumptuous  quar- 
ters, one  of  the  nurses  informed  me  that  I  was 
to  receive  a  personal  visit  from  the  great  Doctor 
Knowall  that  day.  She  further  informed  me  that 
he  was  considered  to  be  the  leading  physician  of 
America  and  that  he  never  made  a  professional 
call  for  less  than  one  thousand  dollars.  As  if  by 
appointment  Arietta  and  this  doctor  arrived  at 
almost  the  same  moment.  Several  of  the  house 
physicians  also  followed  him  into  the  room  anxious 
to  learn  what  diagnosis  this  celebrated  practitioner 
would  make  of  a  case  which  had  so  baffled  them. 
He  lost  no  time  in  unnecessary  talk  but  got  down 
to  work  immediately,  first  looking  over  the  charts 
which  recorded  my  condition  since  my  entrance  to 
the  hospital.  Then  he  examined  me  carefully, 
with  various  instruments,  from  the  tip  of  my  head 
to  the  sole  of  my  foot,  meanwhile  asking  me  many 
questions  on  widely  different  subjects. 

At  last  he  turned  to  the  house  physicians  and 
said  :  "  It  is  my  opinion  that  when  this  man  first 
entered  the  hospital  he  was  merely  suffering  from 


Born  Again  187 

a  simple  case  of  malaria  and  not  enteric  fever,  as 
you  have  diagnosed.  Since  then  his  kidneys  have 
become  affected,  and  he  now  suffers  from  both 
malaria  and  lumbago.  For  the  fever,  give  him 
ten  grains  of  quinine  three  times  a  day  for  two 
days  and  gradually  diminish  the  quantity  until  the 
fever  abates  entirely.  Begin  to  feed  him  after  the 
second  day.  For  the  lumbago,  give  him  at  least 
two  quarts  of  lithia  water  to  drink  each  day.  Now 
as  to  the  man's  mental  calibre,  I  find  him  perfectly 
sane  and  normal.  But  owing  to  a  fracture  of  the 
skull  sustained  by  him  some  time  in  the  past,  the 
two  sides  of  his  brain  have  become  separated,  causing 
two  distinct  personalities  to  exist.  When  one  side 
of  the  brain  works,  the  other  side  remains  dor- 
mant, and  vice  versa.  He  likewise  possesses  a 
dual  memory,  and  is  only  capable  of  recollecting 
events  as  they  happen  separately  and  distinctly, 
according  to  the  side  of  the  brain  which  takes  the 
impression.  Consequently,  this  man  may  have 
lived  a  perfectly  sane  life  during  the  past  twenty- 
one  years,  of  which  he  claims  to  have  no  recollec- 
tion. He  may  at  any  time  in  the  future  resume 
either  personality  by  some  slight  mental  disturb- 
ance, but  his  two  personalities  will  always  remain 
as  strangers  to  each  other." 

Having  thus  delivered  himself,  the  doctor,  who 
apparently   was    bent   upon  making  a  few  more 


188  Born  Again 

thousand  dollar  calls  that  day,  hurriedly,  but  with 
great  dignity  strode  out  of  the  room,  closely  fol- 
lowed by  the  other  physicians. 

After  they  had  departed,  and  we  were  alone, 
Arietta  pulled  a  chair  up  close  to  the  head  of  my 
bed,  and,  looking  steadily  and  earnestly  into  my 
eyes,  said  :  "  I  sincerely  hope,  Mr.  Convert,  that 
you  may  never  again  resume  your  other  person- 
ality." 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

The  change  from  a  charity  patient  to  the  highest 
paid  patient  in  the  Ruff  Hospital  bore  magical 
results,  and  I  was  soon  on  the  road  to  recovery. 
The  quinine  knocked  all  the  fever  out  of  me  within 
two  days.  The  food  I  was  given  to  eat  after  fast- 
ing two  months,  began  to  strengthen  me  at  once 
and  within  ten  days  I  was  able  to  walk  about  the 
room.  Arietta  never  failed  to  visit  me  at  least 
once  each  day,  and  on  some  days,  two  and  three 
times.  With  each  visit  she  brought  flowers,  fruit, 
or  some  little  delicacy,  and  I  was  not  long  in  dis- 
covering that  she  was  taking  more  than  an  ordinary 
interest  in  me.  As  the  days  flew  by,  her  visits 
became  more  frequent  and  of  longer  duration,  until 
finally  it  seemed  as  if  she  almost  lived  in  my 
apartment.  Many  times  she  came  in  the  morning 
and  remained  all  day,  taking  her  lunch  with  me  in 
the  meantime.  As  my  health  improved,  and  I 
became  more  vigorous  in  bodily  strength,  those 
same  feelings  of  admiration  and  love  I  bore  for  the 
first  Arietta  took  a  firm  hold  of  me  until  it  seemed 
that  she  was  a  part  of  my  very  life.  Ah !  those 
were  happy  and  heavenly  days  indeed.  The  hap- 

189 


190  Born  Again 

piness  I  enjoyed  there,  was  of  that  kind  which  can 
only  exist  between  two  souls  fore-ordained  and 
mated  to  each  other  for  all  eternity.  As  the  time 
went  by — all  too  rapidly — we  had  much  to  talk 
about.  Arietta  described  the  many  progressive 
strides  made  by  science  and  invention  during  the 
twenty-one  years  in  which  my  mind  was  a  blank, 
and  I  told  her  hair-raising  stories  of  my  early 
travels  and  adventures  in  all  parts  of  the  world. 
We  said  very  little  regarding  my  other  personality. 
That  subject  appeared  distasteful,  and  caused  her 
to  shudder  whenever  it  was  brought  up.  She 
seemed  to  think  that  in  my  other  character  I  was 
all  that  was  low,  mean  and  contemptible,  while  she 
openly  avowed  that  my  present  self  was  noble, 
honorable,  and  manly. 

There  was  one  hitch,  however,  which  seemed  to 
take  root  and  stand  threateningly  in  the  path  of 
absolute  harmony  between  us,  and  that  was  religion. 
She  refused  to  believe  the  story  I  told  her  of  the 
wonderful  Sagewoman  of  whom  she  was  the  re-in- 
carnation, claiming  that  it  was  nothing  more  nor 
less  than  a  fancy  of  my  disordered  brain.  She 
also  seemed  greatly  displeased  when  I  informed  her 
that  it  was  my  intention  to  go  out  into  the  world 
and  teach  the  principles  of  Natural  Law,  which 
did  not  uphold  religion  of  any  kind.  She,  herself, 
was  a  devout  church  member  and  her  faith  in  re- 


Born  Again  191 

ligion  was  apparently  unshakable.  It  pained  her 
to  think  that  I  should  allow  myself  to  even  ques- 
tion the  authenticity  and  infallibility  of  the  Bible. 
Her  faith  was  so  strong  and  her  nature  so  gentle 
that  I  refrained  from  discussing  the  subject  in  any 
form,  after  I  found  how  much  she  grieved  over  it. 
So  I  said  no  more  about  my  experience  with  the 
divine  Sagewoman  and  my  promise  to  follow  her 
instructions  during  the  remainder  of  my  natural 
life,  but  confined  my  conversation  to  other  subjects, 
and  to  the  full  enjoyment  of  her  daily  companion- 
ship during  my  period  of  convalescence. 

Day  by  day  my  weight  and  strength  increased, 
until  at  last  the  time  arrived  for  me  to  quit  the 
hospital  and  go  into  the  outer  world.  I  had  made 
no  plans  as  to  what  I  should  do  when  thrown  upon 
my  own  resources,  but  felt  confident  that  once  well 
and  strong  I  should  find  plenty  of  work  to  do  with 
both  my  hands  and  brain.  Arietta,  who  appeared  to 
have  an  unlimited  bank  account,  was  generously 
supplying  me  with  every  comfort  and  luxury  that 
money  could  purchase,  notwithstanding  my  earnest 
protests  against  it.  The  tailor  had  visited  me, 
taken  my  measure,  and  returned  a  fine  black  frock 
suit  of  clothes.  The  hatter  had  furnished  a  silk 
tile,  the  shoemaker,  shoes,  and  the  haberdasher  all 
the  other  articles  necessary  to  complete  my  wear- 
ing apparel  in  the  most  up-to-date  style.  The 


192  Born  Again 

barber,  the  manicurists,  and  even  the  chiropodist 
had  visited  me  and  taken  extra  pains  in  polishing 
me  off. 

"  You  are  the  handsomest  old  gentleman  in  New 
York,"  said  Arietta,  girlishly,  as  she  saw  me  for  the 
first  time  dressed  in  street  clothes,  and  all  ready  to 
take  my  departure.  "  But  you  do  not  look  so 
old,  after  all,"  she  added  reflectively,  "  if  it  were 
not  for  your  white  hair  you  might  pass  for  a  man 
of  thirty-five.  My  !  what  a  great  big  fellow  you 
are !  Really,  I  am  afraid  that  all  of  the  women  at 
the  Waldoria  will  become  infatuated  with  you  at 
first  sight,"  continued  she,  critically  looking  me 
over  from  head  to  foot. 

"And  what  do  you  mean  by  the  Waldoria ?" 
inquired  I. 

"  The  Waldoria  Hotel,"  answered  she.  "  I  have 
arranged  for  you  to  live  there  until  you  have 
thoroughly  recuperated  and  regained  your  full 
strength — there,  now,  no  more  objections,  or  I 
shall  become  angry.  At  present,  you  are  in  my 
charge,  and  must  do  just  what  I  tell  you." 

"  Notwithstanding  I  consider  the  task  of  follow- 
ing your  instructions  a  most  pleasant  one,"  replied 
I,  "still  it  seems  to  me  that  I  am  not  doing  exactly 
right  in  accepting  your  most  generous  offerings,  for 
the  simple  reason  that  I  shall  never  be  able  to 
repay  you  for  all  you  have  done." 


Born  Again  193 

"I  have  been  amply  repaid  already,"  said 
Arietta,  "  by  the  miraculous  transformation  of  a 
very  bad  and  offensive  man  whom  I  did  not  like, 
into  a  thoroughly  good  one  whom  I  do  like.  So 
say  no  more  about  the  matter,  for  the  present  at 
least.  After  you  have  .  fully  recovered  from  the 
effects  of  the  terrible  ordeal  through  which  you 
have  just  passed,  then  I  shall  consider  any  protests 
you  may  have  to  offer,  but  not  before.  I  have 
ordered  the  carriage  to  come  for  you  at  noon,  and 
have  given  instructions  to  have  you  taken  to  the 
hotel.  When  you  arrive  there,  you  will  go  to  the 
head  clerk's  desk  and  hand  him  -your  card." 
Here  she  gave  me  a  small  package  of  visiting  cards 
on  which  was  inscribed  "John  Convert."  "You 
will  then  ask  to  be  shown  to  your  apartments, 
which  have  been  settled  for  in  advance  for  one  year, 
after  which  make  yourself  as  comfortable  as  pos- 
sible in  the  place.  Do  not  mention  your  business 
in  any  way  as  it  pertains  to  you  and  me.  It  will 
be  impossible  for  me  to  see  you  as  often  as  I  should 
like,  but  whenever  it  is  convenient  I  shall  have 
you  come  and  see  me.  I  am  stopping  at  a  different 
hotel  in  another  part  of  the  city,  and  for  reasons 
best  known  to  myself,  I  shall  continue  to  withhold 
my  last  name  from  you,  as  you  seem  to  have  no 
recollection  of  it  whatever,  and  it  will  also  be 
necessary  for  the  present  to  meet  you  in  some  out- 


194  Born  Again 

of-the-way  place,  which  I  will  designate  later. 
Perhaps  some  day  you  will  learn  who  I  am,  and 
all  about  me,  but  until  I  am  ready  to  furnish  you 
with  further  information  concerning  my  identity, 
I  shall  rely  upon  your  honor  as  a  man  not  to 
undertake,  by  any  methods  whatsoever,  to  discover 
who  I  am,  or  where  I  reside." 

With  this  mysterious  admonition  and  a  tender 
farewell,  Arietta  left  me  in  the  depth  of  meditation 
as  to  what  strange  occurrence  nature's  storehouse 
might  still  contain  for  me,  and  a  few  minutes  later 
I  was  notified  that  the  carriage  was  in  waiting. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

It  would  be  almost  impossible  to  record  my  im- 
pressions of  the  different  things  that  came  to  my 
notice  for  the  first  time  in  twenty-one  years,  as  I 
was  driven  from  the  hospital  to  the  hotel. 

While  great  progress  had  taken  place  in  many 
lines  during  that  time,  still  after  having  had  such 
a  realistic  mental  picture  of  the  wonders  of  Sage- 
land  stamped  upon  my  mind,  the  new  inventions, 
such  as  trolley  cars,  automobiles,  etc.,  which  I  had 
never  seen  before,  seemed  crude  and  insignificant. 

As  I  passed  from  street  to  street  I  could  not  fail 
to  observe  the  great  disorder  that  prevailed  every- 
where, in  the  foremost  city  of  the  world.  In  the 
first  place,  I  was  struck  by  the  inharmonious  and 
ragged  appearance  of  the  buildings.  Here  was 
a  tall  skyscraper  of  nice  white  marble  thirty 
stories  high,  towering  up  into  the  clouds  like  a 
great  bean-pole,  while  on  one  side  of  it  was  a 
squatty  little  two-story  red  brick  structure,  and  on 
the  other  side  a  six-story  brown  stone  building,  the 
whole  forming  a  most  irregular  and  distracting  ap- 
pearance to  the  eye.  In  other  places,  right  in  the 
heart  of  the  city,  and  adjoining  well-designed 

195 


196  Born  Again 

buildings,  were  vacant  lots  inclosed  by  high  ugly 
board  fences,  on  which  were  painted  fantastic  and 
ridiculous  advertisements. 

These  defects,  of  course,  could  only  be  thor- 
oughly remedied  by  putting  into  force  the  logical 
economic  principle  of  State  ownership  of  all  land 
and  buildings,  instead  of  permitting  the  individual 
to  do  as  he  pleased  with  property  made  valuable 
by  the  community. 

The  disarrangement  of  the  buildings,  however, 
merely  typified  the  incongruous  and  illogical  dis- 
organization of  the  people  themselves.  For  in- 
stance, here  was  a  big,  strong,  well-fed,  fashionably 
groomed  young  man,  walking  along  the  street, 
carrying  no  heavier  burden  than  a  light  walking 
stick,  while  just  beside  him  was  a  half-starved  old 
woman,  almost  bent  double  under  the  weight  of  a 
large  basket  of  clothes  she  had  washed  for  some- 
body else. 

Then  again,  here  were  two  big,  strong  men, 
perched  upon  the  driver's  seat  of  a  magnificent 
carriage,  drawn  by  two  great  powerful  horses,  and 
conveying  about  the  city  for  recreation  a  dyspep- 
tic lap-dog,  while  trudging  along  the  gutter  in 
search  of  work  or  something  to  eat  was  a  weak, 
ill-fed,  broken-down  old  man,  who  had,  no  doubt, 
given  the  best  years  of  his  life  to  the  actual  labor 
which  had  increased  the  wealth  of  the  community. 


Born  Again  197 

Along  the  streets  everywhere  were  dirty  young 
boys  of  tender  age,  who  should  have  been  at  school 
or  play,  rushing  madly  in  every  direction,  trying 
to  earn  a  few  cents  by  the  sale  of  newspapers,  pol- 
ishing shoes,  and  acting  as  chore  boys. 

Little  brass  bands  were  scattered  about  here  and 
there,  braying  forth  inharmoniously,  and  organ 
grinders  and  street  piano  players  were  rending 
the  air  with  bad  music  in  return  for  a  few  pennies, 
thrown  to  them  by  passing  pedestrians. 

Venders  of  fruit,  shoe-strings,  collar-buttons,  and 
other  light  merchandise  were  scattered  along  the 
sidewalks  and  gutters,  trying  to  earn  a  living  by 
the  sale  of  their  wares,  while  beggars  occasionally 
stopped  the  more  fortunate  members  of  society 
with  pathetic  importunities  for  money  to  buy  bread. 

Cabmen  and  horses  were  wasting  the  public  en- 
ergy by  standing  idly  about  waiting  for  engage- 
ments, or  else  driving  aimlessly  in  all  directions, 
searching  for  patronage. 

Wagons  of  every  description  were  rushing  about 
hither  and  thither  in  a  wretchedly  unsystematic 
method  of  retail  delivery,  utilizing  in  many  cases 
the  labor  of  two  men  and  a  team  of  horses  to  carry 
a  small  package  several  miles  distant. 

Countless  little  retail  merchants,  with  an  incal- 
culable force  of  managers,  clerks,  book-keepers, 
errand  boys,  etc.,  were  fairly  throwing  away  the 


198  Born  Again 

public  energy  in  enormous  quantities  through  the 
brainless  struggle  of  competitive  trade. 

All  these  imperfections  could  be  extirpated  by 
the  abolition  of  the  money  system,  thought  I,  as 
the  carriage  came  to  a  standstill  in  front  of  a  great 
brown  stone  edifice,  and  the  driver  announced  that 
we  had  reached  our  destination.  The  door  of  the 
carriage  was  swung  open  by  a  uniformed  employee, 
and,  alighting  therefrom,  I  was  immediately  ush- 
ered into  the  main  office  of  the  leading  institution 
of  its  kind  in  the  world — the  Waldoria  Hotel. 

It  was  quite  a  new  sensation  fur  me  to  enter  this 
great  hostelry  as  a  guest,  having  spent  the  fore  part 
of  niy  life  as  a  rough  adventurer  who  had  never 
known  the  meaning  of  luxury  or  refinement.  But 
still,  somehow  or  other,  it  always  seemed  natural 
for  me  to  carry  myself  properly  in  whatever  posi- 
tion I  happened  to  be  placed,  and  on  this  occasion 
I  felt  composed  and  at  my  ease  as  I  entered  and 
made  known  my  identity  to  the  head  clerk. 

This  pompous  servant  showed  extraordinary 
affability  and  politeness  toward  me,  which  caused 
me  to  wonder  how  I  should  have  been  received  by 
him  had  I  been  a  shoemaker,  a  carpenter,  or  some 
other  honest  son  of  toil,  whose  labor  increases  the 
wealth  of  the  world,  instead  of  a  moneyed  gentle- 
man of  leisure  and  extravagance,  as  he  evidently 
supposed  me  to  be. 


Born  Again  199 

"  Your  secretary  has  deposited  five  thousand 
dollars  to  your  credit  here,  Mr.  Convert,"  said  he, 
handing  me  a  blank  cheque  book,  "  so  if  you  will 
kindly  give  me  your  signature  for  certification, 
you  can  then  draw  upon  that  amount  as  you  see  fit." 

In  astonishment  I  was  about  to  inform  him  that 
I  had  no  secretary,  and  that  the  money  was  not 
mine,  when  it  occurred  to  me  that  perhaps  Arietta, 
or  her  agent,  if  she  had  one,  must  have  pretended 
to  be  my  secretary.  So  I  said  nothing  and  did  as 
requested. 

Upon  being  shown  to  my  apartments,  a  hand- 
somely furnished  suite  of  two  rooms  and  a  bath, 
upon  the  tenth  floor,  I  was  further  amazed  to  find 
therein  a  trunk,  two  dress-suit  cases,  a  traveling  bag, 
and  six  suits  of  fine  clothes,  made  in  different  styles, 
from  an  evening  dress  to  a  sack  business  suit.  And 
the  bedstead,  tables  and  bureaus  were  literally 
covered  with  articles,  such  as  a  bath-robe,  pajamas, 
underwear,  shirts,  collars,  cuffs,  gloves,  hats,  shoes, 
etc.,  all  brand  new  and  marked  "John  Convert." 
Upon  the  dressing  case  was  a  small  jewel  box,  con- 
taining several  kinds  of  gold  cuff  buttons,  diamond 
scarf  pins,  and  a  solid  gold  watch,  on  the  inside 
of  which  was  inscribed,  "From  Arietta  to  John." 

It  took  some  time  for  me  to  get  over  the  wonder- 
ment into  which  I  was  plunged  at  the  sight  of  these 
things,  and  the  contemplation  of  how  far  Arietta 


200  Born  Again 

intended  going  before  ceasing  her  benevolent  acts 
towards  me,  but  after  spending  an  hour  or  two  in 
becoming  accustomed  to  my  surroundings  and  put- 
ting the  various  articles  away  into  the  bureaus  and 
wardrobes,  I  decided  to  make  a  general  survey  of 
the  entire  hotel  premises. 

I  learned  that  the  Waldoria  Hotel  was  thirty 
stories  high,  and  covered  an  entire  block  in  the 
most  fashionable  district  in  New  York  City.  In 
many  ways  it  resembled  a  small  city  in  itself,  con- 
taining a  bank,  theatre,  music  hall,  photograph 
gallery,  art  studio,  gymnasium,  laundry,  electric 
plant,  Turkish  baths,  tonsorial  apartments,  brok- 
ers' offices,  library,  and  various  ball-rooms,  besides 
four  different  restaurants,  two  cafes,  and  several  re- 
ception and  smoking  rooms  for  the  use  of  its  patrons. 

The  entire  roof  of  the  building  was  utilized  as  a 
promenade  and  summer  garden  for  musical  enter- 
tainments. 

The  hotel  could  accommodate  about  three  thou- 
sand guests,  who  occupied  apartments,  the  rentals 
of  which  cost  from  three  to  one  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars  per  day.  About  two  thousand  employees 
were  necessary  to  keep  the  establishment  in  good 
running  order.  Each  floor  had  a  separate  clerk 
and  corps  of  attendants,  and  nobody  could  gain 
admission  to  any  of  the  apartment  floors  except  the 
occupants  and  their  guests. 


Born  Again  201 

All  of  the  apartments  of  the  hotel,  from  the 
magnificent  "  Royal  Suite "  to  the  single  bed- 
rooms of  the  transients,  were  furnished  in  the  most 
luxurious  manner  possible.  Costly  draperies,  price- 
less paintings,  and  exquisite  furnishings  of  every 
description,  adorned  the  drawing-rooms,  ball- 
rooms, foyers  and  restaurants.  Statues  of  ancient 
personages  ornamented  the  different  hallways, 
while  the  carved  marble  and  woodwork  seen  every- 
where showed  splendid  workmanship.  Sweet 
strains  of  music  from  the  orchestras  stationed  in 
different  balconies  could  be  heard  in  most  any  part 
of  the  building. 

Seated  on  either  side  of  the  long,  commodious 
corridors,  on  lounges  overhung  by  palms  and 
tropical  plants  of  various  descriptions,  were  men 
and  women  of  the  fashionable  set,  who  represented 
the  largest  portion  of  capitalistic  wealth  of  the 
community. 

The  women  with  their  low-cut  gowns,  highly 
perfumed,  and  weighted  down  with  jewels  of  every 
kind,  formed  a  brilliant  spectacle  that  was  bewitch- 
ing and  bewildering  to  behold.  They  vied  with 
one  another  in  the  display  of  their  gorgeous  gowns 
and  jewels,  with  the  desire  to  impress  upon  each 
other  thereby  the  wealth  they  possessed  and  the 
position  they  held  in  society.  In  fact,  wealth 
seemed  to  be  the  predominant  feature  of  their 
whole  existence. 


202  Born  Again 

Beautiful  young  women  scarcely  out  of  their 
teens,  could  be  seen  pay  ing  all  of  their  attentions  to 
decrepit,  bald-headed  old  men  of  apparent  opulence, 
while  on  the  other  hand,  young  and  athletic  look- 
ing men  were  courting  women  old  enough  to  be 
their  grandmothers.  In  either  case,  the  young 
were  quite  willing  to  sell  their  persons  for  wealth. 
These  unnatural  facts  plainly  demonstrated  to  what 
depths  the  human  being  will  go  in  an  endeavor  to 
secure  money,  or  the  power  derived  therefrom. 

In  the  restaurants,  the  most  criminal  extrava- 
gance was  practiced  by  these  moneyed  people,  in 
many  cases  the  costly  viands  and  high-priced  wines 
ordered  being  only  partly  consumed,  and  the  re- 
mainder left  to  be  thrown  into  the  waste  barrel. 
In  fact,  it  appeared  that  the  individual's  impor- 
tance was  gauged  by  the  amount  of  money  he  could 
spend,  and  men  who  no  doubt  in  a  great  many 
cases  squeezed  the  pennies  from  the  poor  laboring 
classes  through  their  different  business  methods  of 
confiscation,  thought  nothing  of  spending  from  five 
to  fifty  dollars  for  a  single  meal. 

In  short,  I  found  the  Waldoria  Hotel  to  be  a 
sort  of  a  heavenly  place,  infested  principally  by 
hellish  beings — a  welcome  nest  for  people  with 
money  but  a  very  unwelcome  place  for  persons 
who  had  none.  It  made  absolutely  no  difference 
how  people  got  their  money  as  long  as  they  had  it. 


Born  Again  203 

The  stone  masons,  iron-workers,  carpenters, 
painters,  plumbers  and  other  laborers  who  built 
the  beautiful  edifice  were  not  allowed  inside  of  it. 
The  furniture  makers,  carpet  and  tapestry  weavers, 
interior  decorators,  etc.,  through  whose  skill  the 
hotel  was  made  grand,  were  not  permitted  to  enjoy 
the  magnificence  of  their  own  creation.  But 
owing  to  the  stupid  money  system,  which  these 
laborers  themselves  help  to  keep  in  force,  the  re- 
sults of  their  combined  energies  were  either  usurped 
by  an  unproductive  class  fortunate  enough  to  be 
born  rich,  or  those  shrewd  enough  to  accumulate 
money,  such  as  trust  managers,  bankers,  real  estate 
speculators,  stock  jobbers,  and  brokers,  gamblers, 
burglars,  money  loan  swindlers,  high  salaried  cler- 
gymen, etc. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

In  looking  over  the  daily  newspapers  the  next 
morning  my  attention  was  forcefully  called  to  the 
fact  that  fully  nine-tenths  of  the  news  columns 
was  given  to  the  promulgation  of  crime  in  all  its 
various  forms,  of  which  ninety  per  cent,  could  be 
directly  traced  to  the  money  evil,  of  which  the 
system  of  individual  accumulation  must  be  held 
responsible.  For  the  benefit  of  future  generations 
who  may  desire  information  that  will  give  them  an 
exact  idea  of  the  real  value  of  their  civilized  and 
christianized  ancestors,  I  herewith  reproduce  a  few 
extracts  from  the  newspapers,  word  for  word,  just 
as  the  despatches  were  published. 

"  Albany,  N.  Y.,  Special  Despatch  :  It  is  re- 
ported on  high  authority  that  State  Senator  Grab 
has  received  a  half  million  dollars,  to  be  distributed 
among  the  various  senators  and  assemblymen,  for 
the  purpose  of  securing  their  votes  in  exchange  for 
certain  legislative  laws  that  will  favor  the  Gas 
Trust  in  its  iniquitous  squeeze  of  the  people  for 
higher  rates.  Several  senators  have  openly  threat- 
ened to  vote  against  these  measures,  claiming  that 

2W 


Born  Again  205 

Senator  Grab  is  acting  the  hog  and  will  not  divide 
the  booty  fairly  among  them." 

"  Fall  River,  Mass.:  Ten  thousand  workingmen 
and  women  have  been  thrown  out  of  employment 
by  the  mills  of  this  city,  owing  to  the  unprecedented 
rise  in  the  price  of  cotton,  caused  by  the  recent 
manipulations  of  that  famous  Wall  Street  specula- 
tor, Dan  Bull,  who  by  forcing  up  the  prices  in  the 
speculative  market  has  added  millions  to  his  own 
bank  account  during  the  past  few  weeks.  The 
mills  have  been  shut  down  indefinitely  and  starva- 
tion is  now  facing  thousands  of  men,  women  and 
children  as  a  consequence." 

"  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.:  The  marriage  ceremony 
between  the  Right  Reverend  Q.  T.  Getrich,  Bishop 
of  New  York,  and  Mrs.  E.  Z.  Money  was  solem- 
nized here  today  with  great  pomp,  and  attended  by 
some  of  the  very  wealthiest  and  most  fashionable 
people  of  the  country.  It  has  been  suggested  by 
some  ungodly  reprobate  that  perhaps  the  young 
and  handsome  bishop  married  the  fat  and  aged 
widow  to  gain  possession  of  her  millions,  but  this 
sacrilegious  imputation  is  furiously  resented  by  all 
pious  church  members." 

"  Chicago,  111.:  Municipal  ownership  of  public 
utilities  seems  to  have  been  given  a  serious  setback 
by  the  very  costly  and  unsuccessful  experiment 
this  city  undertook  in  operating  its  own  electric 


206  Born  Again 

and  water  plants  during  the  past  year.  It  appears 
that  city  officials  are  just  as  susceptible  to  the 
charm  of  money  as  private  corporations,  and  just  as 
willing,  by  corrupt  methods,  to  fleece  the  public  in 
order  to  obtain  it.  It  is  evident  that  as  long  as 
there  is  money  in  use  there  will  always  be 
boodlers." 

"  Baltimore,  Md.:  The  pure  food  inspectors  of 
this  city  after  having  made  an  inspection  of  the 
different  canned  foods,  have  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  at  least  ninety  per  cent,  of  the  same  is  adul- 
terated and  that  the  public  is  being  slowly  poisoned 
to  death.  The  greed  of  the  various  concerns  which 
produce  these  things  for  bigger  profits,  causes  them 
to  use  cheap  chemicals  in  their  adulterative  methods 
in  place  of  higher  priced  and  genuine  substances. 
These  inspectors  make  the  astonishing  statement 
that  they  believe  all  foods  and  drinks  are  more  or 
less  adulterated  and  that  in  the  general  rush  for 
money  profits,  the  inhabitants  of  the  world  are 
actually  poisoning  each  other  by  slow  degrees." 

"  St.  Louis,  Mo.:  An  epidemic  of  diphtheria  is 
raging  in  this  city  and  hundreds  of  children  are 
dying  daily  from  the  effects  of  its  ravages.  The 
deaths  in  most  cases  are  children  of  the  poorer 
classes  who  cannot  afford  to  pay  the  exorbitant 
prices  lately  put  upon  antitoxin  by  the  Medicine 
Trust.  This  trust,  which  controls  the  supply  of 


Born  Again  207 

antitoxin,  has  increased  the  price  nearly  two  hun- 
dred per  cent,  during  the  past  year  at  different 
intervals,  until  it  has  now  become  absolutely  pro- 
hibitive to  all  except  the  wealthy.  Unless  there 
is  something  done  immediately  to  alleviate  this 
condition  of  affairs,  the  lives  of  thousands  of  young 
children  will  be  blotted  out,  which  might  otherwise 
have  been  saved." 

"  Kokomo,  Ind.:  An  awful  tragedy  took  place 
in  this  town  yesterday  when  Peter  Doles,  appar- 
ently driven  insane  from  poverty  and  want  of 
employment,  killed  his  wife  and  five  children  by 
splitting  their  heads  open  with  an  axe,  and  after- 
ward thrust  a  knife  into  his  own  heart.  Doles  was 
at  one  time  a  wealthy  citizen  of  this  place,  but 
speculation  was  the  cause  of  his  downfall." 

"  Philadelphia,  Pa.:  A  terrible  state  of  affairs 
has  been  brought  to  light  here  by  the  police  who 
have  discovered  that  a  regular  system  of  child 
murder  has  been  in  practice  for  some  time  by  a 
syndicate  of  fiends  who  murder  children  for  the 
insurance.  These  fiends,  who  secured  their  victims 
from  regularly  operated  baby  farms  of  illegitimate 
children,  would  have  their  lives  insured  for  large 
sums  and  then  destroy  them  afterwards,  in  order  to 
obtain  the  insurance  money." 

"Paterson,  N.  J.:  U.  K.  Dire  was  sentenced  to 
be  hung  today  for  the  murder  of  his  father.  Some 


208  Born  Again 

time  ago,  young  Dire  obtained  information  that  his 
millionaire  father  was  about  to  make  a  new  will,  and 
cut  him  off  without  money,  so  he  deliberately  en- 
tered into  a  cold-blooded  plan  with  his  father's 
secretary  to  murder  the  old  man  by  poison.  The 
secretary  afterward  turned  State's  evidence  and 
upon  his  testimony  the  young  man  was  convicted." 

"  Reno,  Nev.:  This  town  was  the  scene  of  mur- 
derous outlawry  last  night  when  an  organized  band 
of  burglars  gained  entrance  to  a  local  bank,  and 
blew  up  the  vaults.  The  night  watchman  discov- 
ered their  presence,  and  raising  an  alarm  brought 
the  police  and  other  citizens  to  the  premises.  Then 
occurred  a  general  encounter  between  the  police  and 
the  burglars  in  which  over  a  hundred  shots  were 
fired,  causing  the  death  of  three  policemen,  two 
private  citizens  and  four  of  the  burglars.  The  re- 
mainder of  the  desperadoes  jumped  on  their  horses 
and  escaped  with  the  money." 

"  Boston,  Mass.:  Rev.  D.  D.  Sly,  the  eminent 
clergyman  of  this  city,  announced  today  that  he 
has  received  a  call  from  the  Lord  to  take  up  his 
work  in  another  field.  He  will  leave  at  once  for 
New  York  City,  where  he  will  take  charge  of  a 
fashionable  Fifth  Avenue  pastorate.  Reverend  Sly 's 
salary  will  be  increased  from  two  thousand  five  hun- 
dred to  five  thousand  dollars  per  annum  through  the 
change,  which  once  more  brings  up  the  question  as 


Born  Again  209 

to  whether  the  Lord  was  ever  known  to  call  a  pas- 
tor to  a  new  field  at  a  lower  salary." 

"  Buffalo,  N.  Y.:  A  case  brought  up  in  court  here 
today  shows  to  what  extent  the  extortionate  loan 
sharks  will  go  in  their  greed  for  money.  It  was 
proved  that  two  years  ago  O.  IT.  Curr  loaned  Mrs. 
Kate  Poor,  a  washer-woman  with  three  small  chil- 
dren, the  sum  of  fifty  dollars  on  household  furni- 
ture. A  contract  was  entered  into,  whereby  the 
widow  was  to  pay  interest  at  the  rate  of  twenty  per 
cent,  per  month  until  the  principal  had  been  paid. 
Mrs.  Poor  stated  under  oath  that  she  has  already 
paid  Curr,  in  monthly  instalments,  over  three 
hundred  dollars  and  that  she  is  still  indebted  to 
him  for  the  original  loan  of  fifty  dollars." 

"Scranton,  Pa.:  Trades  Unionism  is  receiving  a 
great  deal  of  public  censure  at  present  in  this  city, 
owing  to  the  recent  disclosure  made  against  Judas 
Pilate,  a  union  agent,  who  has  been  blackmail- 
ing different  contractors  for  several  years  past, 
by  making  them  pay  him  large  sums  of  money, 
under  threats  of  ordering  junion  men  to  strike.  It 
has  been  proved  that  Pilate  has  secured  over  fifty 
thousand  dollars  by  this  method.  His  followers, 
however,  still  remain  loyal  to  him,  notwithstand- 
ing he  sold  them  out  many  times  and  brought  dis- 
repute upon  Trades  Unionism." 

"  Harrisburg,  Pa.:    The  various  manufacturers 


210  Born  Again 

of  cigarettes  in  this  state  have  banded  together  to 
defeat  the  Anti- Cigarette  League  in  its  efforts  to 
have  laws  passed  forbidding  the  sale  of  cigarettes 
to  children.  While  the  manufacturers  do  not  deny 
that  the  cigarette  is  wrecking  the  physical,  mental, 
and  moral  character  of  the  American  youth,  they 
contend  that  it  will  prove  detrimental  to  their  busi- 
ness interests,  and  thereby  cause  a  loss  of  many 
thousand  dollars  if  the  Anti-Cigarette  Law  is  put 
into  effect.  Reliable  statistics  for  the  past  three 
years  show  that  one  hundred  thousand  children 
are  ruined  annually  by  smoking  cigarettes." 

"Pittsburg,  Pa.:  The  Steel  Trust  has  made  a 
general  reduction  in  the  salaries  of  all  its  employees 
throughout  the  United  States,  which  will  decrease 
the  wages  of  the  worker  from  ten  to  twenty  per  cent,, 
and  affecting  in  the  neighborhood  of  two  hundred 
thousand  men.  It  is  estimated  that  this  sweeping 
reduction  will  save  the  Steel  Trust  approximately 
twenty  millions  of  dollars  per  year.  Owing  to  the 
manipulations  of  the  Wall  Street  schemers,  this 
saving  becomes  necessary  to  keep  the  Trust  in 
existence,  as  in  the  great  merger  of  the  several 
different  steel  companies,  the  actual  valuation  of 
the  plants  was  increased  one  hundred  times  over 
in  watered  stock,  so  that  it  not  only  becomes  neces- 
sary for  those  who  do  the  labor  to  pay  dividends 
on  bona  fide  investments  of  the  capitalists,  but  to 


Born  Again  211 

pay  dividends  on  watered  stock  criminally  in- 
creased one  hundred  fold  besides.  This  decrease 
in  wages  will  cause  great  suffering  among  the 
laboring  classes,  for,  owing  to  the  increased  cost  of 
living  caused  by  the  raising  of  prices  by  the  various 
food  trusts,  it  is  almost  impossible  for  the  ordinary 
man  to  make  both  ends  meet.  It  appears  to  all 
thoughtful  students  of  political  economy  that  the 
object  of  those  in  control  of  the  money  markets  is 
to  limit  the  supply  of  necessities  of  life,  so  that  the 
demand  for  them  will  force  prices  up,  and,  by 
decreasing  production,  will  cause  a  superfluous 
quantity  of  labor,  which,  in  turn,  will  force  wages 
down.  With  cheap  labor  to  produce,  and  a  high 
selling  price  for  the  production,  the  trust  managers 
and  other  financiers  have  easily  solved  the  question 
of  how  to  legally  confiscate  the  wealth  of  the 
world." 

"  New  York  City :  A  great  war  is  now  being 
waged  between  the  rich  tenement  house  owners 
and  their  poor  tenants  on  the  East  Side,  which 
promises  to  end  in  lawlessness,  riots,  and  much 
suffering  in  consequence.  It  appears  that  the 
owners  of  these  houses  have  increased  the  rents 
from  time  to  time  until  they  are  now  beyond  the 
reach  of  the  tenants'  ability  to  pay.  At  least  three 
thousand  of  these  occupants  have  banded  together 
to  fight  the  last  raise,  while  the  landlords  have 


212  Born  Again 

also  combined  to  evict  them  unless  they  comply 
with  the  terms.  The  tenants,  who  are  mostly  hard 
working  laborers,  claim  that  it  is  utterly  impossible 
for  them  to  meet  the  extortionate  prices  of  foods, 
fuel,  gas,  oil,  and  rents,  now  being  forced  upon 
them  by  the  capitalists,  with  the  small  amount  of 
wages  that  they  receive  for  their  work  from  the 
capitalists,  and  if  they  are  evicted  from  their 
present  homes  it  is  a  problem  as  to  what  they  will 
do  or  where  they  will  go.  The  landlords  claim 
that  is  none  of  their  concern  ;  that  they  themselves 
are  merely  following  the  system  now  in  existence 
of  getting  all  they  can,  through  their  property 
rights,  according  to  the  law  of  supply  and  demand. 
Some  of  them  even  claim  that  these  tenants  are 
nothing  more  than  vermin,  anyway,  and  that  it 
would  be  well  to  push  them  all  into  the  East  River 
and  exterminate  them  entirely." 


The  newspaper  articles,  which  I  have  repro- 
duced, are  but  a  few  of  the  thousands  chronicled 
daily  of  the  terrible  crimes  which  take  place  in  all 
parts  of  civilized  Christendom  over  the  individual 
possession  of  money,  or  its  equivalent,  and  they 
also  demonstrate  that  after  nineteen  hundred  years 
of  Christianity  the  world  still  remains  in  a  savage 
state.  The  Christian  must  admit,  if  he  will  stop 


Born  Again  213 

and  consider,  that  there  must  be  something  lacking 
in  his  religion,  if,  after  all  these  centuries,  such 
barbarous  conditions  still  exist.  What  is  lacking? 
This  question  can  be  answered  in  a  few  words. 
The  abolition  of  the  money  system.  The  eradica- 
tion of  individual  accumulation.  The  extermina- 
tion of  unnatural  religions.  The  substitution  of 
united  labor  and  equal  distribution.  The  adhe- 
rence to  the  principles  of  Natural  Law. 

Had  Christ  taught  Natural  Law  instead  of 
supernatural  religion,  had  he  been  an  organizer 
and  started  a  movement  toward  the  abolition  of 
the  money  system  and  established  a  united  labor 
organization  in  the  place  of  the  system  of  indi- 
vidual accumulation,  the  world  long  ere  this  would 
have  been  a  heavenly  abiding  place  for  the  human 
family,  instead  of  a  seething  furnace  of  petty  quar- 
rels, murderous  fights,  and  selfish  strife  among  all 
of  the  inhabitants. 

Why  should  one  hog  have  more  to  eat  than 
another  ?  Why  should  one  man  have  more  luxuries 
and  privileges  than  another?  Why  should  the 
man  who  conceives  an  idea  receive  a  greater  reward 
than  he  who  puts  the  idea  into  execution  ?  Why 
should  the  man  who  works  with  his  brain  have 
more  of  the  sweets  of  life  than  he  who  works  with 
his  hands?  Why  should  the  man  who  lays  the 
brick  have  more  of  the  world's  goods  than  he  who 


214  '  Born  Again 

carries  the  brick  and  mortar  to  him  ?  These  ques- 
tions do  not  apply  alone  to  the  capitalist,  but  also 
to  the  laborer  as  well,  and  as  long  as  the  laboring 
classes  champion  the  cut-throat  policy  of  grading 
man's  allowance  according  to  his  ability,  of  giving 
more  to  one  than  another,  owing  to  a  slight  differ- 
ence of  brain  capacity,  he  should  not,  after  show- 
ing his  own  greediness  in  this  respect,  expect  the 
capitalist  not  to  be  greedy  also.  He  must  learn 
that  all  men  are  created  equal,  and  should  have 
equal  opportunities  and  benefits  from  the  whole 
production  of  united  labor.  As  long  as  money 
exists,  so  long  will  fights  and  quarrels  take 
place  between  capital  and  labor,  and  between  the 
different  branches  of  labor  as  well.  The  la- 
borer will  fight  the  capitalist  until  he  in  turn 
becomes  a  capitalist,  and  then  he  will  turn  about 
and  fight  the  laborer.  So  there  is  but  one  reason- 
able method  to  pursue  in  order  to  better  the  condi- 
tions on  earth,  and  to  eliminate  suffering  and  crime 
entirely,  and  that  method  is  to  strike  at  the  very 
root  of  the  cause,  and  abolish  money  and  the  sys- 
tem of  individual  accumulation. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

My  sojourn  at  the  Waldoria  Hotel  was  a  rather 
pleasant  one  in  many  ways.  I  enjoyed  the  luxury 
and  refinement  of  the  surroundings.  The  har- 
monious music  of  the  orchestras  was  pleasant  to 
listen  to,  and  the  magnificent  paintings  and  beau- 
tiful works  of  art  were  pleasing  to  the  eye.  I 
also  took  some  pleasure  in  wearing  the  different 
suits  of  fine  clothes  with  which  I  had  been  sup- 
plied, and  in  making  my  own  person  appear  as 
well  as  possible  in  the  eyes  of  others.  I  even 
enjoyed  entering  the  spacious  and  luxurious  res- 
taurants and  eating  sparingly  of  some  of  the 
delicious  viands  prepared  by  the  scientific  chef. 
In  fact,  the  many  delightful  advantages  to  be 
derived  from  living  at  the  Waldoria  directly  ap- 
pealed to  me  as  being  some  of  the  blessings  sup- 
plied by  nature  for  all  human  beings  to  enjoy. 

But  still  there  was  a  serious  drawback  to  my 
thorough  and  absolute  enjoyment  of  these  condi- 
tions, when  I  took  into  consideration  the  fact  that 
I  was  in  no  way  responsible  for  their  existence. 
I  was  accepting  something  from  the  community, 

215 


216  Born  Again 

but  giving  nothing  in  return.  I  felt  that  in  living 
at  the  Waldoria,  and  doing  no  work  for  the  com- 
munity, I  was  like  a  great  sponge  soaking  up  the 
life-blood  of  honest  toil,  and  returning  nothing 
for  the  sustenance  it  afforded  me.  I  felt  that  I 
should  at  least  go  to  work  and  do  something  that 
would  help  to  pay  for  my  keeping.  True  it  was 
that  I  had  the  money  to  pay  for  these  things,  but 
where  did  the  money  come  from?  Where  does 
all  money  come  from?  To  have  money  to  pay 
for  things  does  not  mean  that  one  has  earned 
them.  So  I  decided  that  I  would  go  to  work  as 
soon  as  possible,  and  give  to  the  community  an 
equivalent  for  the  things  I  enjoyed. 

But  then,  the  great  difficulty  arose  when  I  tried 
to  find  something  to  do.  It  made  little  difference 
what  kind  of  work  I  should  engage  in  as  long  as 
it  was  of  a  productive  nature.  But  when  I  went 
around  looking  for  employment,  I  discovered  that 
there  was  none  to  be  had. 

It  is  certainly  a  most  unnatural  system  which 
fails  to  utilize  all  the  energy  at  its  command  for 
the  good  of  universal  production,  and  it  seems 
hard  to  realize  that  such  conditions  can  exist ;  but 
during  my  wanderings  from  street  to  street,  store 
to  store,  and  factory  to  factory,  throughout  the 
great  commonwealth  of  New  York,  I  discovered 
that  besides  myself,  there  were  also  thousands  of 


Born  Again  217 

other  earnest  men  tramping  the  streets,  willing,  but 
unable,  to  find  work.  At  last,  however,  I  was  put 
in  the  peculiar  position  of  having  to  pay  to  work. 
One  day-,  after  a  week  of  unsuccessful  attempts  to 
obtain  employment,  I  ran  across  one  of  the  sub- 
bosses  of  the  street-cleaning  department.  Making 
known  my  desire  to  him,  I  was  amazed  when  he 
told  me  that  he  would  let  me  work  on  condition 
that  I  paid  him  twenty-five  dollars  for  the  job  and 
promised  to  give  him  ten  per  cent,  of  my  salary  each 
month.  He  informed  me  that  all  of  the  men  under 
his  charge  had  to  do  likewise.  In  fact,  he  inti- 
mated that  in  order  to  hold  his  own  position  as 
sub-boss  he  had  to  pay  this  money  to  bosses  higher 
up  in  the  department. 

And  so  in  order  to  feel  that  I  was  at  least  doing 
something  for  the  community  to  earn  my  right  to 
live,  I  was  forced  to  pay  for  the  opportunity  and 
also  to  aid  in  keeping  alive  one  of  the  many  sys- 
tems of  graft,  which  unnaturally  swallows  up  the 
results  of  honest  men's  labor.  So  I  began  work 
as  a  street-sweeper — a  position  looked  upon  gener- 
ally as  one  of  the  lowest  in  the  scale  of  human 
employment.  Why  the  man  who  sweeps  the 
streets,  making  clean  and  wholesome  the  thorough- 
fares, which  have  to  be  traveled  constantly  by  the 
people,  and  saving  the  public  from  filth  and  dis- 
ease, should  be  looked  down  upon  by  the  rest  of 


218  Born  Again 

his  fellow  beings  for  doing  this  great  service,  seems 
beyond  the  limits  of  sane  reasoning ;  but  such  is 
the  case  in  this  world,  where  money  is  the  god 
worshiped  by  all. 

An  illustrative  incident  occurred  while  I  held 
the  unique  position  of  street-sweeper,  and  at  the 
same  time  being  a  guest  at  the  fashionable  Wal- 
doria  Hotel.  I  had  become  acquainted  with  many 
of  the  wealthy  guests  of  the  place,  who,  no  doubt, 
supposing  me  to  be  a  man  of  riches,  courted  my 
society  to  some  extent.  In  fact,  I  had  become 
rather  popular  among  the  permanent  residents. 
There  was  one  family  in  particular,  a  certain  Mrs. 
Snipe  and  her  two  daughters,  who  took  every  occa- 
sion to  pay  me  attentions,  until  one  day  as  I  was 
engaged  in  my  daily  work  on  the  street,  some  dis- 
tance from  the  hotel,  I  noticed  a  carriage  approach- 
ing which  held  Mrs.  Snipe  and  her  brood.  They 
were  all  looking  straight  at  me,  but  gave  no  sign 
of  recognition  as  they  passed  along.  That  evening, 
after  I  had  changed  my  working  clothes,  which  by 
the  way,  resembled  the  white  duck  outfit  worn  by 
an  African  explorer,  and,  having  left  them  in  the 
tool-house,  I  went  home  and  attired  myself  in 
evening  dress.  Again  I  met  the  Snipe  family  in 
one  of  the  foyers  of  the  hotel.  The  old  lady, 
accompanied  by  her  eligible  daughters,  approached 
me  and  said:  "Mr.  Convert,  I  have  something 


Born  Again  219 

awfully  funny  to  tell  you.  It  is  just  too  funny  to 
keep  to  myself.  You  have  a  double ;  we  saw  him 
today.  Now,  don't  get  angry  when  I  tell  you 
where  we  saw  him  and  who  he  is,  but  he  resem- 
bled you  so  much  that  if  it  were  not  for  the  posi- 
tion he  occupied  I  should  have  sworn  it  was  you. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  street-sweeping  brigade, 
and  if  you  wish  to  see  him  just  go  over  to  Fifth 
avenue  and  Twenty-sixth  street  tomorrow  and  you 
can  see  for  yourself.  There,  now,  you  are  not 
angry,  are  you?" 

"No,"  answered  I,  "the  person  you  refer  to  I 
have  seen  many  times.  There  is  nothing  to  be 
angry  about.  Certainly,  not  because  he  holds  the 
honorable  position  of  cleaning  the  streets  which 
you  have  to  travel." 

"Honorable,"  retorted  Mrs.  Snipe;  "you  must 
be  joking.  I  cannot  understand  how  an  aristo- 
cratic gentleman  like  yourself  would  otherwise 
make  such  an  absurd  remark." 

"  I  am  not  joking  at  all,"  said  I ;  "in  my  esti- 
mation, the  street-sweeper  belongs  to  the  most  hon- 
orable portion  of  mankind.  He  is  down-trodden 
by  society  now,  owing  to  an  unnatural  system 
which  permits  the  strong  to  take  the  largest  por- 
tion of  wealth  and  rule ;  but  the  day  will  come 
when  men  who  sweep  the  streets  or  occupy  other 
positions  of  worth  to  the  community,  will  enjoy  the 


220  Born  Again 

same  luxuries  and  surroundings  that  you  and  other 
non-producers  now  enjoy.  They  will  live  in  the 
palaces  now  occupied  by  the  parasites  who  do  no 
work.  Such  places  as  the  Waldoria  Hotel  will  be 
utilized  for  their  benefit,  and  those  who  do  not 
work,  those  who  claim  the  right  to  live  without 
labor,  will  be  thrown  out  entirely." 

"  Why,  Mr.  Convert,  what  do  you  mean  by  talk- 
ing in  such  a  beastly  way  ?  If  you  are  so  fond  of 
those  vulgar  street-sweepers,  why  don't  you  become 
one  of  them  ?  " 

"I  have,"  I  answered.  "The  man  you  saw 
today  sweeping  the  streets  was  none  other  than 
myself,  and  I  am  proud  of  it." 

"  You  are  either  joking  or  else  you  have  gone 
out  of  your  mind,"  said  Mrs.  Snipe  with  a  look  of 
disgust.  But  upon  my  reiteration  that  I  was  really 
the  man  she  saw,  both  she  and  her  daughters 
abruptly  left  my  presence  and  never  looked  at  me 
afterwards.  They  no  doubt  communicated  the  text 
of  our  conversation  to  the  different  people  of  the 
hotel,  also,  for  I  discovered  later  that  the  other 
guests  with  whom  I  had  become  acquainted,  not 
only  refused  to  converse  with  me,  but  regarded  me 
as  a  sort  of  curiosity  or  peculiar  freak  of  nature. 
They  would  pass  me  on  the  street,  where  I  was 
working  at  different  times,  in  their  gorgeous  car- 
riages, and,  calling  each  other's  attention  would 


Born  Again  221 

pass  jokes  at  my  expense,  and  laugh  loud  and 
mockingly  at  me.  At  first  these  things  troubled 
me  to  some  degree,  but  gradually  I  gathered  cour- 
age to  bear  their  sneers — courage  such  as  I  had 
never  experienced  before. 

I  had  faced  all  manner  of  dangers  during  my  life 
without  fear,  but  I  had  never  known  the  real 
meaning  of  courage  until  I  made  up  my  mind  to 
do  right  under  all  conditions,  and  accept  the  ridi- 
cule of  my  fellow  beings  without  resentment.  In 
my  humble  position  I  could  now  appreciate  the 
philosophy  and  the  true  greatness  of  the  Sage- 
woman's  beautiful  lessons  of  unselfishness.  1  felt 
that  I  was  just  beginning  to  get  strong — strong  in 
the  grandest  attribute  a  human  being  can  possess 
— moral  courage.  The  great  Sagewoman's  teach- 
ings on  forbearance  were  beginning  to  take  root  in 
my  nature.  I  was  learning  to  understand  that  I 
must  work  and  feel  for  others,  regardless  of  my 
own  selfish  desires. 

One  day,  while  I  was  busily  engaged  in  my  daily 
toil,  my  attention  became  attracted  to  a  big,  fash- 
ionably dressed  man,  standing  on  the  sidewalk 
near  by,  calmly  smoking  a  high-priced  cigar.  He 
was  apparently  about  thirty  years  of  age,  six  feet 
tall,  and  weighed  over  two  hundred  pounds.  He 
was  fat  and  beastly  in  appearance,  and  looked  as 
if  he  considered  his  own  selfish  wants  as  the  only 


222  Born  Again 

things  in  the  world  worth  attention.  He  probably 
had  never  done  an  honest  day's  labor  in  his  life. 
A  ragged  old  man,  about  sixty  years  of  age,  who 
apparently  had  given  his  whole  life  to  productive 
toil,  but  now  feeble  and  half-starved  in  appearance, 
approached  and  appealed  to  him  for  a  few  cents 
with  which  to  buy  something  to  eat.  The  big  fel- 
low roughly  told  him  to  go  along  and  not  bother 
him,  and  the  old  man,  not  doing  as  he  was  ordered, 
the  young  man  deliberately  swung  his  fist  and 
struck  the  poor  beggar  between  the  eyes,  knocking 
him  senseless  to  the  pavement.  For  a  moment  I 
was  dumbfounded  by  this  exhibition  of  brutality, 
and  then  instantly  every  drop  of  blood  in  my  body 
was  set  boiling  at  the  sight.  I  lost  control  of  myself- 
My  old-time  pugnacious  spirit  asserted  itself,  and 
I  sprang  forward  like  a  maddened  bull,  striking 
the  brute  a  vicious  blow  upon  the  head  with  my 
fist,  and  sending  him  sprawling  several  feet  away. 
As  he  scrambled  to  his  feet,  in  a  dazed  condition,  I 
rushed  forward  furiously,  with  the  intention  of  fell- 
ing him  to  the  ground.  After  allowing  him  to 
regain  his  feet,  I  raised  my  arm  to  deal  a  well- 
directed  blow  with  all  my  strength,  when  some- 
thing within  me  suddenly  cried  out :  "  Don't 
strike."  "  Don't  make  a  brute  of  yourself 
because  the  other  did."  "Let  the  law  take  its 
course."  And,  as  I  hesitated  momentarily,  there 


Born  Again  223 

passed  through    my  mind  like  an  electric  flash, 
these  words  : 

"Always  consult  your  soul  for  advice. 

"Do  no  act  your  conscience  will  not  sanction" 

Then  instantly  recognizing  the  mandate  I  had 
so  faithfully  promised  the  great  Sagewoman  to 
obey,  I  overcame  my  rage  and  allowed  my  arms  to 
fall  to  my  sides  without  striking  another  blow. 

Two  policemen  hurriedly  approached  the  scene. 
I  stated  what  had  occurred  and  requested  them  to 
take  the  bully  to  jail.  To  my  surprise,  however, 
at  the  command  of  the  well-dressed  ruffian,  who  I 
afterward  learned  was  a  wealthy  politician,  both 
myself  and  the  beggar  were  taken  to  the  station- 
house.  I  was  fined  ten  dollars,  and  the  poor  old 
man  was  sentenced  to  jail  for  thirty  days. 

While  I  knew  that  in  this  case  the  law  of  justice 
had  been  misapplied  in  favor  of  the  cowardly 
wretch  with  money,  nevertheless  I  felt  that  I  had 
gained  incalculable  strength  in  self-control  by  not 
acting  contrary  to  the  warning  of  my  soul  and 
making  of  myself  the  same  kind  of  a  brute  as  the 
one  whom  I  had  intended  to  injure. 


CHAPTER  XXX 

Central  Park  is  a  tract  of  land  situate  in  the 
middle  of  residential  New  York.  It  is  oblong  in 
shape,  being  two  miles  in  length,  half  a  mile  in 
width  and  covering  an  area  of  about  eight  hundred 
and  sixty  acres.  The  ground  has  been  artificially 
changed  from  a  wild  waste  to  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  spots  to  be  found  anywhere.  It  is  coursed 
by  a  net-work  of  splendid  drive-ways,  equestrian 
roads  and  foot-paths  running  in  all  directions 
among  the  many  little  rocky  hills  and  miniature 
lakes.  Trees,  flower-beds  and  shrubbery  of  various 
kinds  have  been  cleverly  arranged  by  skilled 
artists  to  form  a  delightfully  picturesque  effect. 
Chirping  birds  of  many  colors  and  tame  squirrels 
in  multitudinous  numbers  find  this  park  a  heavenly 
abiding  place  where  the  danger  of  annihilation  is 
minimized.  Play-grounds  for  the  children  are 
laid  out  in  different  parts  of  the  domain  while  a 
zoological  garden  where  animals  are  kept  impris- 
oned in  small  cages  for  the  term  of  their  natural 
lives,  is  put  forth  as  one  of  its  many  features. 

As  one  passes  through  the  entrance  gate  at 
Seventy-eighth  street  and  Central  Park  West, 


Born  Again  225 

and  turns  first  to  the  right,  then  to  the  left,  and 
finally  to  the  right  again,  following  a  foot-path 
similar  in  its  windings  to  a  letter  S,  and  crossing 
two  small  bridges,  he  will  come  to  an  abrupt  end- 
ing of  a  narrow  path  running  into  an  immense 
projecting  rock.  Here  is  located  a  canopied  seat 
just  large  enough  for  two  people.  Facing  this 
shelter  is  a  small  lake,  on  the  edge  of  which  over- 
hanging trees  afford  delightful  shade  during  the 
hot  months.  That  was  the  place  selected  by 
Arietta  for  our  meeting  ground.  It  was  an  out- 
of-the-way,  quiet  and  romantic  spot  where  we  spent 
many  pleasant  afternoons  and  evenings  enjoying 
each  other's  company.  Whenever  Arietta  wanted 
to  see  me  she  sent  a  note  which  never  failed  to 
bring  me  there.  In  fact,  such  a  feeling  of  enchant- 
ment did  the  place  hold  for  me,  that  many  times  I 
wandered  out  there  and  sat  alone  for  hours,  musing. 

But  notwithstanding  that  our  many  meetings 
had  the  effect  of  strengthening  our  mutual  admira- 
tion and  love  for  each  other,  and  that  I  was  begin- 
ning to  fairly  idolize  this  beautiful  young  woman, 
still  certain  things  came  to  pass  that  I  could  not 
understand,  and  which  caused  me  to  feel  that 
Arietta's  actions  were  very  mysterious,  and  that 
there  was  something  about  her  life  she  was  trying 
to  withhold  from  me. 

In  the  first  place  she  would  never  meet  me  any- 


226  Born  Again 

where  else  except  in  that  obscure  nook  in  the  park, 
and  in  departing  would  not  permit  me  to  escort 
her  beyond  the  Seventy-eighth  street  entrance, 
where  she  would  abruptly  bid  me  a  hasty  adieu, 
with  instructions  that  I  must  take  another  route. 

That,  in  itself,  appeared  to  be  a  strange  proceed- 
ing, but  one  evening  as  I  entered  a  fashionable  Fifth 
avenue  restaurant  on  one  of  my  tours  of  inspec- 
tion of  plutocratic  conditions,  I  was  amazed  to  see 
her  seated  at  one  of  the  tables,  drinking  wine  with  a 
male  companion.  Her  face  was  flushed  from  the 
effects  of  the  beverage,  and  she  was  acting  a  trifle 
hilarious,  and  displaying  traits  of  frivolity  such 
as  I  had  never  observed  in  her  before.  As  I 
caught  her  eye  she  gave  a  quick  start,  and 
then  deliberately  turned  her  head  in  another 
direction,  and  pretended  not  to  have  seen  me.  At 
this  act  I  rushed  out  into  the  street,  and  it  was 
with  great  difficulty  that  I  was  able  to  control  my 
feelings. 

The  next  evening  I  met  her  in  the  park,  and  was 
further  surprised  when  she  not  only  failed  to  men- 
tion the  incident,  but  intimated  that  she  had  spent 
the  evening  at  an  entirely  different  place.  She 
appeared  so  innocent,  however,  and  was  so  charm- 
ing in  her  manner  that  I  almost  immediately  forgot 
the  affair,  and  said  nothing  about  it.  A  few  nights 
later,  though,  as  I  was  walking  down  Broadway, 


Born  Again  227 

near  Twenty-seventh  street,  I  noticed  a  large  crowd 
of  men  and  women  gathered  and  questioning 
a  bystander  as  to  the  reason  thereof,  I  was  in- 
formed that  a  stylishly  dressed  lady  was  "too 
drunk  to  navigate"  and  was  in  the  hands  of  a 
policeman.  As  I  craned  my  neck  to  get  a  glimpse 
of  the  unfortunate  woman,  I  was  shocked  beyond 
expression  to  find  that  it  was  none  other  than 
Arietta  who  had  created  the  commotion.  Horrified, 
I  rushed  through  the  crowd,  pushing  men  right 
and  left,  until  I  had  reached  the  policeman,  who 
was  holding  her  up  by  the  arm  and  trying  to 
ascertain  her  name  and  address.  She  could  hardly 
stand,  and  seemed  dazed  to  the  point  of  falling, 
but  as  I  spoke  her  name,  her  memory  revived 
somewhat,  and,  fixing  her  half-closed  eyes  upon  me, 
she  said:  "  Why,  hello  Jack!  "  And  then,  turn- 
ing to  the  officer,  remarked  :  "  This  is  my  friend 
Jack ;  he  will  take  me  home."  I  could  not  under- 
stand the  reason  she  called  me  Jack.  She  had 
never  addressed  me  in  that  way  before.  But  with- 
out delay  I  informed  the  policeman  that  I  would 
take  charge  of  her,  and  requested  him  to  call  a 
cab.  When  the  vehicle  arrived  it  became  neces- 
sary for  me  to  lift  her  bodily  into  it,  and  then  I 
was  at  a  loss  to  know  just  where  to  take  her.  In 
order  to  get  away  from  the  crowd,  however,  I  told 
the  driver  to  go  on  and  I  would  give  him  the 
address  later. 


228  Born  Again 

"  Tell  him  to  take  us  to  the  Seraglio  Apart- 
ments," she  mumbled. 

"  Do  you  know  where  the  Seraglio  Apartments 
are?"  I  inquired  of  the  driver. 

"Yes,  sir,  in  Central  Park  West,"  replied  he, 
as  he  whipped  up  his  horse  and  started  in  that 
direction. 

Arietta  said  no  more,  but  remained  silent,  as  if 
stupefied  from  the  effects  of  the  intoxicating  drink 
she  had  taken. 

"What  a  pity,"  thought  I,  as  we  sped  along, 
"  that  this  young  woman,  with  all  of  her  beauty, 
grace  and  charm,  and  with  all  of  her  splendid 
traits  of  character,  should  fall  a  victim  to  the 
awful  curse  of  drink  !  Could  this  condition  have 
been  brought  about  because  she  had  no  work  to 
perform  and  too  much  time  and  money  to  squander 
recklessly?  What  a  pity  that  there  are  human 
beings  who  make  and  sell  poisonous  stuff  for 
money  which  not  only  robs  those  who  use  it  of 
their  reasoning  power,  but  which  undermines  the 
very  foundation  of  the  human  race !  Those  people 
who  make  and  sell  liquor,  knowing  that  it  will 
ultimately  destroy  the  energies  and  lives  of  thou- 
sands of  human  beings,  are  just  as  much  murder- 
ous poisoners  as  would  be  the  chemist  who  would 
knowingly  give  a  deadly  drug  to  an  intended 
suicide." 


Born  Again  229 

When  we  arrived  at  the  apartment  house,  which 
was  one  of  the  most  magnificent  in  New  York,  it 
was  with  some  difficulty  that  I  was  able  to  arouse 
her  sufficiently  so  that  she  could  walk  with  my 
assistance.  Entering  the  vestibule,  I  asked  her  if 
she  could  get  along  without  further  help,  but  she 
insisted  that  I  should  go  to  her  rooms,  so  getting 
into  the  elevator  we  were  taken  up  to  the  eighth 
floor.  As  though  he  was  accustomed  to  this  sort 
of  an  affair,  the  elevator  attendant  went  ahead  and 
opened  one  of  the  doors  on  the  right  of  the  hall- 
way, and  after  turning  on  the  electric  light,  and 
we  had  entered,  he  withdrew  at  once,  quietly  clos- 
ing the  door  after  him.  I  then  found  myself 
within  one  of  the  most  elegantly  furnished  draw- 
ing rooms  imaginable.  At  one  end  of  the  apart- 
ment was  an  archway  gorgeously  draped  with 
costly  tapestries  which  partially  screened  another 
room  beyond,  which  served  as  a  bed-chamber. 
Arietta  staggered  forward,  half  pulling  me  along 
with  her  into  this  other  room,  and  throwing  her- 
self upon  the  bed,  ordered  me,  in  a  dazed  sort  of  a 
way,  to  remove  her  clothing.  I  was  dumbfounded 
at  this  extraordinary  command  and  felt  that  I  was 
placed  in  an  extremely  awkward  position.  I  did 
not  like  the  idea  of  allowing  the  poor  girl  to  remain 
over  night,  in  the  uncomfortable  position  she  had 
taken,  bound  as  she  was  by  tightly  fitting  garments, 


230  Born  Again 

and  still  I  realized  that  it  was  a  very  delicate  un- 
dertaking to  follow  out  her  instructions,  knowing 
full  well  that  if  she  were  in  her  right  senses  she 
would  be  horrified  at  the  thought  of  such  a  thing. 
But  as  I  stood  looking  at  her  for  several  moments 
in  a  state  of  perplexed  indecision,  and  wondering 
what  course  to  pursue,  she  began  to  moan  as  if  in 
agony,  and  without  further  hesitation  I  decided  to 
go  ahead  and  do  my  best  to  make  her  position 
more  comfortable.  So  I  began  by  taking  off  her 
shoes. 

"What  a  superb  foot!"  mused  I  enthusias- 
tically, as  I  unlaced  and  removed  her  pretty  little 
shoes.  "  Was  there  ever  another  quite  so  shapely  or 
entrancing?  And  the  ankle!  How  daintily  its 
joints  showed  beneath  embroidered  hose  of  ex- 
quisite material."  Hardly  had  I  begun  this  task 
before  I  realized  that  a  strange  magnetic  force  was 
stealing  upon  me.  With  such  a  feast  for  my  eyes 
to  centend  with,  it  seemed  as  if  my  senses  were  be- 
ing gradually  overcome  by  the  intoxicating  clutch 
of  voluptuous  dreams. 

The  shoes  off,  I  turned  my  attention  to  the  col- 
lar which  apparently  caused  her  much  uneasiness. 
The  tcollar,  as  I  discovered,  was  a  part  of  the  bodice 
and  could  not  be  taken  off  without  removing  the 
whole  garment,  which  task  required  considerable 
time,  patience,  and  careful  manoeuvering  to  per- 


Born  Again  231 

form.  This  I  finally  accomplished,  however,  with 
the  aid  of  Arietta,  who  revived  occasionally  from 
her  comatose  state  long  enough  to  give  a  few  in- 
distinct directions,  and  then  as  my  eyes  rested 
upon  her  lovely  arms,  neck  and  shoulders,  I  was 
plunged  into  ecstatic  emotion  such  as  words  have 
not  the  power  to  express.  At  last  I  succeeded  in 
loosening  the  stays  and  different  cords  and  ribbons 
usually  worn  by  women,  which  alleviated  her  dis- 
tress considerably,  and  after  throwing  a  light  robe 
over  her  form  was  about  to  arrange  her  position  so 
that  she  might  rest  comfortably,  when  to  my  utter 
astonishment  she  threw  her  arms  around  my  neck, 
kissed  me  several  times,  and  whispered  in  my  ear, 
"You  won't  leave  me  alone  tonight,  will  you, 
darling?" 

This  seemed  to  be  almost  too  much  for  me  to 
bear ;  the  cravings  of  my  sensual  nature  began  a 
desperate  struggle  with  my  better  self.  My  blood 
started  to  tingle  with  the  heat  of  passion.  Evil 
thoughts  crowded  themselves  into  my  brain.  The 
more  of  these  evil  thoughts  I  allowed  to  enter  my 
head  the  less  power  of  resistance  I  held  against 
their  subtle  ravages.  I  was  losing  self-control. 
I  felt  powerless  to  battle  successfully  against  the 
temptation.  Stealthily  walking  over  to  the  door, 
I  softly  bolted  it  and  then  stood  still  for  some  time 
and  listened.  It  was  past  midnight  and  every- 


232  Born  Again 

thing  was  quiet.  I  turned  out  the  light  and 
started  to  go  over  to  Arietta.  As  I  did  so,  some- 
thing within  me  seemed  to  cry  out  with  shame 
against  such  cowardice.  As  I  paused  for  a  mo- 
ment, the  voice  from  within  became  stronger  in 
its  disapproval  of  my  intentions.  Apparently  I 
became  divided  into  two  parts,  and  each  was  strug- 
gling for  the  mastery  of  me.  One  side  was  trying 
with  all  its  might  to  push  me  forward,  while  the 
other  was  attempting  to  hold  me  back  with  re- 
proachful warnings.  These  two  parts  w^ere  my 
material  and  spiritual  selves,  contending  for  su- 
premacy. I  wavered  back  and  forth,  from  one  to 
the  other,  and  it  seemed  that  the  material  side  was 
about  to  conquer  and  carry  me  down  to  disgrace, 
when  suddenly  there  passed  through  my  mind  like 
a  great  wave  of  strength  the  Sagewoman's  wonder- 
ful precept : 

"Always  consult  your  soul  for  advice. 

"  Do  no  act  your  conscience  will  not  sanction" 

And  recognizing  the  full  meaning  of  these  words, 
I  immediately  turned  about,  unbolted  the  door,  and 
quietly  left  the  apartment,  feeling  that  the  soul  was 
still  master  of  my  actions. 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

Almost  from  the  first  day  after  I  left  the  hospital 
I  began  to  feel  an  earnest  desire  to  follow  out  the 
instructions  of  the  great  Sagewoman  in  regard  to 
teaching  my  fellow  beings  the  philosophy  of  Nat- 
ural Law,  and,  knowing  of  no  better  way  to  begin 
this  work,  I  decided  to  go  out  and  lecture  upon  the 
streets  to  all  persons  who  might  care  to  listen.  I 
set  aside  three  evenings  each  week  to  preach  the 
Truth,  and  took  a  position  at  the  corner  of  Fifth 
avenue,  and  Twenty-third  street,  just  opposite  the 
"Flatiron"  building,  with  nothing  but  a  soap- 
box for  a  platform  ;  it  was  here  that  I  devoted 
many  evenings  instructing  the  masses  in  the  prin- 
ciples of  Sagemanism.  At  first  I  felt  a  little  awk- 
ward, and  could  not  find  sufficient  words  to  express 
myself  properly  upon  the  subject,  but  gradually 
there  came  self-reliance,  which  enabled  me  to 
communicate  my  thoughts  to  others,  and  within 
a  few  weeks  I  had  acquired  a  fluency  of  speech 
whereby  I  could  talk  for  hours  without  embarrass- 
ment. During  my  first  attempts  at  public  speak- 
ing, few  people  would  remain  more  than  a  moment 
or  two  to  hear  what  I  had  to  say,  but  with  the 

233 


234  Born  Again 

increased  force  and  power  of  speech,  which  I 
acquired  with  practice,  my  audiences  grew  larger 
and  larger,  until  finally  the  streets  were  blockaded 
with  their  numbers  at  these  meetings.  Many  of 
my  hearers,  both  rich  and  poor  alike,  got  into  the 
habit  of  coming  repeatedly  to  listen  to  these  talks, 
and  after  a  short  time  they  would  come  to  me  one 
by  one  and  request  personal  tutorage  in  the  prin- 
ciples set  forth.  In  fact,  the  number  of  these 
proselytes  increased  to  such  an  extent,  and  their 
intentions  were  so  earnest  and  serious,  that  it 
finally  became  necessary  to  engage  a  hall,  where 
we  might  hold  private  meetings.  It  was  in  this 
way  that  there  was  finally  organized  the  society 
for  the  propagation  of  the  principles  of  Natural 
Law.  Little  by  little  the  society  gained  in  numer- 
ical strength,  until  I  felt  sure  that  the  seed  of  this 
grand  work  had  been  planted  in  human  soil  for  all 
time  to  come,  and  that  its  fruits  would  blossom 
forth  in  abundance  as  time  passed  by. 

But  while  success  appeared  to  be  crowning  my 
humble  efforts  in  this  direction,  and  the  more 
progress  I  made  in  this  propaganda,  the  more 
opposed  to  my  methods  Arietta  became.  She  grew 
intensely  antagonistic  to  my  work,  and  tried  in 
every  way  to  have  me  discontinue  it.  She  could 
not  believe  that  all  human  beings  were  born  to 
have  equal  rights  and  privileges  in  the  world.  She 


Born  Again  235 

had  been  taught  from  infancy  that  there  must 
always  be  a  master  and  a  servant,  and  that  the 
Deity  was  responsible  for  the  position  held  between 
them.  She  believed,  as  most  good  Christians  do, 
that  it  is  the  Creator's  will  that  some  people  are 
born  in  wealth  and  luxury,  while  others  are  born 
and  bred  in  poverty  and  squalor.  She  repeatedly 
endeavored  to  persuade  me  to  desist  in  the  work  I 
had  undertaken  and  re-enter  the  Church  as  a  good 
Christian  member.  My  efforts  to  convert  her  as 
a  believer  in  Natural  Law  were  futile,  and  a  great 
gulf  seemed  to  be  springing  up  and  separating  us 
from  one  another.  I  felt  that  I  was  placed  in  a  very 
difficult  position.  On  the  one  hand,  I  loved  this 
beautiful  young  woman  more  than  words  can  con- 
vey any  idea  of.  She  seemed  to  be  a  part  of  my 
life.  I  would  have  gladly  suffered  any  pain  or 
torture,  if  by  so  doing  it  would  have  afforded  her 
one  moment  of  pleasure.  On  the  other  hand,  I  had 
sworn  most  solemnly  to  the  great  Sagewoman  that 
I  would  devote  the  remainder  of  my  natural  life 
to  the  dissemination  of  the  principles  in  which  she 
had  instructed  me.  I  often  wondered  at  my 
strange  predicament.  Here  I  was  being  censured 
by  the  re-incarnated  soul  of  the  great  Sagewoman 
for  carrying  out  the  very  work  she  taught  me,  and 
for  fulfilling  my  promise  to  her. 

The  climax  of  this  peculiar  situation  was  reached 


236  Born  Again 

one  night  at  our  meeting  place  in  the  park.  Arietta 
had  sent  me  an  urgent  despatch  to  come  and  see 
her  without  fail,  and  then  she  had  stated  that  it 
was  her  intention  to  leave  New  York  the  next  day 
on  a  protracted  trip  through  Europe.  She  said 
she  had  come  to  bid  me  good-bye,  and  that  it  was 
to  be  good-bye  forever,  as  she  never  intended  to 
see  me  again.  She  appeared  depressed  and  sad 
upon  this  occasion,  and  her  eyes  were  filled  with 
tears.  In  answer  to  my  inquiry,  as  to  her  reason 
for  leaving  me  in  this  way,  she  said  that  it  was 
because  she  could  not  uphold  me  in  my  crusade 
against  all  recognized  principles  of  religious  beliefs. 
She  told  me  frankly  that  she  loved  me  and  that 
she  cared  nothing  for  any  other  man  in  the  world 
except  myself,  but  that  according  to  her  religion 
she  could  not  do  otherwise  than  go  away  and  for- 
get me.  She  claimed  that  nothing  further  could 
come  of  our  friendship  as  long  as  I  continued  an 
emissary  of  Natural  Law ;  that  her  religion  forbade 
it,  and  her  parents  would  oppose  it;  that  her 
friends  would  be  against  it,  and  the  whole  world 
would  sneer  at  it ;  and  that  to  be  placed  in  such  a 
trying  position  was  more  than  she  could  possibly 
bear.  According  to  her,  there  was  no  good  reason 
why  I  could  not  give  up  my  undertaking,  to  please 
her.  She  had  everything  in  the  world  to  make 
me  happy  and  was  willing  to  give  me  anything 


Born  Again  237 

within  her  power,  if  I  would  only  relinquish  my 
purpose  and  promise  never  to  think  of  it  again. 
She  told  me  that  she  was  wealthy,  that  she  had 
millions  in  her  own  name,  and  that  her  father  and 
uncles  were  multi-millionaires,  to  whose  wealth  she 
would  be  the  sole  heir.  She  said  that  if  I  would 
promise  to  quit  the  work  I  was  engaged  in,  that 
she  would  give  me  her  hand  in  marriage,  and  also 
deposit  in  the  bank  to  my  credit  one  million  dol- 
lars on  the  following  day  as  a  dowry,  with  which  I 
could  do  as  I  pleased.  She  was  serious  and  appar- 
ently in  earnest,  and  I  did  not  doubt  one  word  of 
what  she  said  as  being  the  truth.  So  I  was  placed 
in  the  position  of  choosing  between  great  wealth, 
the  woman  I  loved,  and  all  other  earthly  pleasures 
on  the  one  hand,  and  a  duty  which  I  had  solemnly 
sworn  to  perform,  on  the  other.  It  was  a  trying 
situation,  to  say  the  least.  With  bowed  head  I 
sat  and  considered  all  phases  of  the  matter,  with 
much  earnestness  and  equal  indecision.  To  think 
that  Arietta  would  leave  me  forever  was  to  feel 
that  my  heart  was  being  torn  from  its  fastenings. 
To  have  her  as  my  wife,  this  alone  seemed  to  be 
the  very  greatest  happiness  that  life  could  afford, 
and  mayhap,  the  promise  of  a  million  dollars 
was  not  without  its  allurement.  A  position  in 
the  very  best  society  of  the  country  also  loomed 
before  my  vision,  as  I  considered  these  things. 


238  Born  Again 

On  the  other  hand,  if  I  refused,  I  could  look 
forward  to  a  life  of  poverty,  hard  work,  and 
the  abuse  of  my  fellow  beings.  The  temptation 
was  a  trying  one,  and  it  seemed  impossible  for  me 
to  refuse  Arietta's  offering.  As  I  raised  my  head 
and  looked  into  her  beautiful  eyes,  which  expressed 
great  love,  and  tenderness,  and  expectation,  I  felt 
that  I  could  not  say  no  to  her.  It  seemed  as  if  I 
had  been  placed  between  honor  and  temptation, 
and  was  about  to  fall  into  the  arms  of  the  latter. 
I  hesitated  a  moment,  undecided  as  to  what  to 
do,  when  something  within  me  distinctly  said : 
"  Be  a  man.  Give  up  all  earthly  pleasures  during 
this  life  and  teach  Natural  Law,  according  to  your 
promise."  Then  once  again  the  wise  words  of  the 
great  Sagewoman  passed  through  my  mind : 

"Always   consult  your  soul  for  advice. 

"Do  no  act  your  conscience  will  not  sanction." 

Instantly  arising  and  feeling  that  I  should  fol- 
low the  advice  of  my  soul  above  all  other  consid- 
erations, I  determined  to  do  that  which  was  right. 
I  concluded  that  to  lose  Arietta,  and  all  the  pleas- 
ures incidental  to  a  life  with  her,  was  but  a  tempo- 
rary loss,  but  the  opportunity  of  setting  a  great 
example  to  my  fellow  beings,  a  precedent  that 
would  have  lasting  influence,  might  never  arrive 
again,  and  that  it  was  my  solemn  duty  to  seize  this 
chance  while  I  had  the  power  to  do  so.  So,  stand- 


Born  Again  239 

ing  erect  and  without  further  hesitation,  I  took 
Arietta's  hand  in  mine  and  said:  "My  dear  girl, 
to  lose  you  will  cause  me  much  suffering  and  pain, 
so  much  that  it  would  be  impossible  for  you  to 
form  any  conception  of  it.  To  lose  you  is  to 
deprive  me  of  all  that  is  dear  and  sweet  in  this 
life.  To  permit  you  to  go  without  acceding  to 
your  wishes,  taxes  my  strength  to  the  utmost  limit, 
but  believe  me,  the  life  of  one  little  human  being 
is  of  short  duration  in  the  immense  sea  of  time, 
and  while  I  am  giving  up  the  delight  and  pleas- 
ure of  your  companionship  now,  I  am  doing  so  in 
order  that  I  may  lend  my  feeble  efforts  toward  the 
establishment  of  a  social  system  whereby  the  con- 
ditions of  this  world  will  be  made  such  that  at 
some  future  date  our  souls  may  be  able  to  join 
each  other  in  peace  and  harmony  and  enjoy  the 
blessings  of  a  heavenly  world,  free  from  money  and 
religion,  which  I  hope  will  eventually  be  the  result 
of  my  present  labors.  Therefore,  in  acting  con- 
trary to  your  wishes  now,  I  feel  that  I  am  working 
for  your  future  happiness.  I  shall  remain  at  my 
present  post  of  duty,  trying  to  uplift  mankind,  I 
shall  follow  the  dictates  of  my  conscience  in  doing 
this,  and  as  long  as  the  bones  of  my  little  anatomy 
hold  together  as  a  living  being  and  my  brain  has 
the  power  to  reason,  I  shall  teach  the  principles  of 
Natural  Law  even  if  all  the  world  follows  your  ex- 
ample and  turns  against  me." 


240  Born  Again 

At  the  conclusion  of  this  little  speech  my  emo- 
tion overcame  me  and  I  could  say  no  more.  Arietta 
also  appeared  overcome  with  sadness,  and  was  un- 
able to  speak.  She  withdrew  her  hand  from  mine 
and  without  a  word  turned  and  walked  slowly 
away,  sobbing  bitterly  as  she  left.  I  stood  and 
watched  her  retreating  form  in  a  dazed  sort  of  a 
way.  With  each  step  which  put  us  farther  apart, 
increasing  darkness  obscured  my  vision.  I  wanted 
to  call  her  back  but  a  lump  came  in  my  throat  and 
I  could  not  speak.  My  brain  was  in  a  whirl.  A 
terrible  feeling  of  gloom  over-shadowed  me.  I 
labored  under  great  excitement.  My  head  seemed 
as  if  it  were  ready  to  burst.  I  felt  that  I  was  going 
mad.  The  trees  and  everything  else  appeared  to 
be  moving  about  in  great  confusion.  Those  same 
symptoms  which  I  experienced  after  falling 
among  the  rocks  of  Sageland  returned.  My  body 
seemed  to  be  dividing  into  several  parts  and  then 
becoming  one  again.  I  tried  to  control  myself  but 
without  avail.  All  of  a  sudden  I  saw  standing 
before  me  two  Ariettas,  one  at  the  right  hand  and 
the  other  at  the  left.  The  one  at  the  right  I  in- 
stantly recognized  as  the  great  Sagewoman,  while 
on  the  left  stood  the  girl  Arietta.  They  were 
facing  and  pointing  in  opposite  directions.  Look- 
ing to  my  right  I  saw  a  path  running  up  a  steep 
hill  which  seemed  almost  impossible  to  climb  and 


Born  Again  241 

upon  which  was  inscribed  the  word  strength.  To 
my  left  I  observed  a  path  running  down  the  hill 
upon  which  was  written  the  word  weakness.  At 
the  top  of  the  hill  everything  looked  bright  and 
cheerful  and  orderly,  while  at  the  bottom  darkness 
and  confusion  prevailed.  Above  the  extreme  top, 
as  though  stamped  in  space  like  a  great  rainbow, 
these  words  appeared :  Natural  Law,  Wisdom, 
Love  for  Others.  At  the  bottom,  and  almost  ob- 
scured in  the  gloom,  I  faintly  discerned  the  follow- 
ing :  Religion,  Ignorance,  Love  of  Self. 

As  I  stood  speechless  at  this  wonderful  vision 
everything  suddenly  became  dark  and  I  knew  no 
more. 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

The  next  impression  my  memory  has  any  record 
of  was  a  huge  ocean  steamer,  floating  away  upon  the 
deep.  Great  volumes  of  smoke  were  pouring  forth 
from  its  smoke-stacks  as  it  majestically  glided  over 
the  water.  Upon  its  many  decks  were  hundreds 
of  human  beings,  scattered  about  in  little  groups, 
gaily  chatting  and  enjoying  to  the  fullest  extent 
the  delight  experienced  by  an  ocean  voyage. 
Among  all  of  the  happy  faces,  however,  there  was 
one  that  appeared  sad  and  forlorn.  It  was  the  face 
of  a  beautiful  young  woman,  standing  alone  against 
the  railing  of  the  promenade  deck,  who  was  weep- 
ing in  silence.  As  she  raised  her  eyes  and  looked 
in  my  direction,  I  instantly  recognized  the  girl 
Arietta,  and  realized  that  she  was  leaving  me  for- 
ever. And  then,  like  one  in  a  dream,  I  held  out 
my  hands  and  mutely  implored  her  to  return.  She 
appeared  to  be  within  a  short  distance  and  look- 
ing straight  at  me,  but  still  made  no  sign  of  recog- 
nition. I  could  not  understand  the  reason  for  such 
coldness  on  her  part,  and  in  astonishment  rubbed 
my  eyes  and  looked  again,  when  lo  and  behold,  she 
had  vanished  from  sight.  But  far  out  into  the 

242 


Born  Again  243 

distance,  almost  to  the  horizon,  I  could  plainly  see 
a  large  steamer  headed  toward  the  vast  ocean  be- 
yond. I  looked  around  in  a  confused  sort  of  a 
way,  and  discovered,  to  my  surprise,  that  I  was 
standing  almost  at  the  water's  edge  on  one  of  the 
docks  near  Battery  Place.  It  was  daylight,  and  the 
sun  was  shining  overhead.  I  then  concluded  that 
I  must  have  been  out  of  ray  head  for  some  time, 
and  questioning  a  stranger,  who  stood  near  by,  I 
learned  that  just  fourteen  hours  had  elapsed  since 
I  had  bade  Arietta  good-bye,  and  I  could  form  no 
recollection  of  the  slightest  incident  that  happened 
since  then. 

After  watching  the  steamer  until  it  had  disap- 
peared from  view,  I  slowly  walked  to  a  bench  in 
Battery  Park  and  sat  down,  in  the  depths  of  despair, 
to  reflect  upon  the  straage  occurrence.  I  must 
have  sat  there  for  about  an  hour  in  deep  medita- 
tion, when  my  attention  was  attracted  by  a  news- 
paper urchin,  shouting  at  the  top  of  his  voice : 
"  Paper  !  Extra  !  All  about  the  great  murder." 
At  the  same  time  he  rushed  up  to  me,  pushed  a 
paper  into  my  hand,  took  the  penny  I  offered  him 
mechanically,  and  scampered  along. 

"  Another  murder,"  mused  I ;  "  what  a  pity  human 
beings  cannot  dwell  together  without  taking  each 
other's  lives." 

Glancing  over  the  headlines,  I  learned  from  the 


244  Born  Again 

big  black  type  that  a  beautiful  young  woman  had 
been  murdered  in  cold  blood.  Reading  further,  I 
was  horrified  to  find  that  the  young  woman's  name 
was  Arietta  Fogg,  and  that  she  was  murdered  in 
her  own  rooms,  at  the  Seraglio  Apartments,  Cen- 
tral Park  West.  I  could  hardly  believe  my  eyes 
saw  the  thing  aright.  I  felt  sure  that  it  must  be 
an  optical  illusion  wrought  by  my  constant  thought 
of  Arietta.  I  looked  again  and  again,  yet  read 
ever  the  same  words,  and,  laboring  under  tremen- 
dous excitement,  I  hurriedly  perused  the  account 
of  the  murder.  It  stated  that  about  eleven  o'clock 
of  the  previous  night  Arietta  Fogg  had  arrived  at 
the  apartment  house,  and  had  been  taken  to  her 
rooms  by  the  elevator  attendant.  A  half  hour  later 
a  tall,  smooth-faced,  white-haired  gentleman  ar- 
rived, and  was  shown  to  her  apartments.  This  man 
was  seen  by  the  watchman  to  leave  the  place  at 
three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  the  chambermaid 
discovered  her  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  dead, 
and  covered  with  blood  from  several  stabs  in  the 
body. 

Cold  perspiration  oozed  from  every  pore  of  my 
body  as  I  read  and  re-read  this  article,  over  and 
over  again.  I  was  puzzled,  dumbfounded,  horror- 
stricken.  The  description  given  of  the  apparent 
murderer  tallied  exactly  with  myself.  Straining 
every  nerve  I  endeavored  to  regain  some  impres- 


Born  Again  245 

sion  that  might  lead  to  a  knowledge  of  my  actions 
from  the  time  Arietta  left  me  the  night  before  until 
I  had  recovered  my  senses  that  day.  But  try  as  I 
might,  I  could  no  more  recall  to  memory  the 
slightest  movement  on  my  part  during  that  time 
than  I  could  recollect  any  event  which  happened 
during  the  twenty-one  years  of  which  my  life  had 
been  a  blank. 

Like  a  man  under  the  influence  of  liquor  I  arose 
and  staggered  hurriedly  forward  until  I  reached 
the  "  L  "  station  where  I  boarded  a  train  and  rode 
up  to  Eighty-first  street.  Here  I  alighted  and 
walked  rapidly  over  to  the  Seraglio  Apartments. 
A  vast  crowd  of  curious  people  was  collected  about 
the  place,  and  as  I  approached,  all  eyes  were  appar- 
ently turned  upon  me. 

Hastening  forward  I  bounded  up  the  entrance 
steps  and  almost  flew  into  the  vestibule.  There 
were  little  knots  of  people  standing  about  the  hall- 
way, talking  in  low  tones.  Even  their  voices 
hushed  as  I  hurried  into  the  elevator  and  told  the 
attendant  to  take  me  up  to  the  eighth  floor.  The 
operator  appeared  to  be  almost  frightened  out  of 
his  wits  at  the  sight  of  me,  but  after  a  momentary 
pause  he  ran  the  elevator  to  the  eighth  floor,  peer- 
ing at  me  all  the  time  as  he  might  have  eyed  a  wild 
beast  who  was  about  to  devour  him.  Many  people 
were  in  the  upper  hall-way,  but  looking  neither  to 


246  Born  Again 

the  right  nor  to  the  left,  I  went  straight  to  the  door 
of  the  room  I  had  entered  the  night  I  had  taken 
Arietta  home.  Finding  it  locked,  without  a 
moment's  hesitation  I  threw  against  it,  all  of  the 
force  my  gigantic  frame  could  command  which 
caused  it  to  give  way  and  fly  open  before  me.  I 
then  observed  that  there  were  several  men  in  the 
room,  in  different  positions  and  groups,  as  if  mak- 
ing a  study  of  the  surroundings.  Lying  upon  the 
bed,  in  the  room  adjoining,  was  the  form  of  a  woman 
partly  covered  by  a  spread,  and  being  examined 
by  a  man  who  might  have  been  the  coroner.  As 
I  rushed  forward  like  a  madman,  every  one  there 
became  frightened  and  made  way  for  me  to  pass. 

Approaching  the  bed  I  eagerly  scanned  her 
features,  and  being  positive  of  her  identity  I  took 
the  inanimate  form  of  Arietta  in  my  arms  and 
kissing  her  tenderly  was  overcome  by  emotion. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 

Arrested  for  the  murder  of  Arietta  Fogg,  after 
being  positively  identified  by  the  elevator  attendant 
and  the  night  watchman  as  being  the  only  person 
who  visited  her  apartments  on  the  night  of  the 
crime,  was  the  next  incident  of  my  strange  career. 
Thrown  into  prison,  and  caged  like  a  savage  beast 
in  a  little  cell  hardly  large  enough  to  turn  around 
in,  has  been  my  lot  ever  since  that  awful  tragedy. 
The  case  attracted  widespread  interest,  and  the 
newspapers  teemed  with  sensational  accounts  of  it. 
At  the  trial,  all  of  the  evidence  pointed  directly  to 
me  as  the  perpetrator  of  the  deed.  The  elevator 
operator  swore  that  I  was  the  man  whom  he  had 
taken  to  Arietta's  apartments  shortly  after  eleven 
o'clock  that  night.  The  watchman  testified  that 
he  saw  me  leave  her  room  at  three  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  On  the  stand,  I  was  made  to  tell,  under 
oath,  that  Arietta  and  I  had  been  lovers ;  that  we 
had  been  together  that  same  night  in  the  park,  arid 
had  parted  at  about  half  past  ten  o'clock ;  that  she 
had  informed  me  of  her  intention  to  never  see  me 
again.  By  these  statements  the  prosecuting  attor- 
ney showed  the  motive  for  the  crime.  I  could  give 

247 


248  Born  Again 

no  account  of  my  time  between  half  past  ten  that 
night  and  the  next  day  at  noon,  which  was  another 
strong  point  against  me.  I  had  pleaded  not  guilty, 
feeling  that  as  I  knew  nothing  about  the  crime  I 
could  not  very  wisely  do  otherwise,  but  also,  stat- 
ing that  I  had  suffered  a  temporary  aberration  of 
the  mind  during  that  time,  and  that  if  I  really  did 
commit  the  deed,  which  I  could  not  believe  possi- 
ble, then  I  had  done  it  in  an  entirely  different 
character  or  personality  from  my  normal  self. 

My  attorney  endeavored  to  have  me  sham  in- 
sanity during  the  trial,  and  he  became  irritably 
insolent  in  his  manner  toward  me  because  I  posi- 
tively refused  to  do  so.  He  told  me  that  if  I  stuck 
to  the  truth  I  would  surely  be  convicted,  but  if  I 
followed  his  advice  by  openly  assuming  idiotic 
tactics  in  court  and  making  false  statements  under 
oath,  according  to  his  directions,  he  could  save  me 
without  any  trouble.  He  frequently  growled  and 
cursed  at  me  for  the  straightforward  way  that  I 
gave  my  testimony,  claiming  that  his  professional 
reputation  was  being  ruined  by  my  telling  the 
truth.  He  privately  acknowledged  that,  in  his 
opinion,  I  was  guilty,  but  that  if  he  were  successful 
in  having  me  acquitted,  he  would  achieve  great 
fame  thereby,  and  incidentally  be  able  to  increase 
the  size  of  his  future  clients'  fees. 

It  was  proved  in  court — alas,  the  saddest  blow 


Born  Again  249 

I  had  yet  received,  that  Arietta  was  a  frivolous 
young  woman,  who  practically  lived  a  life  of  ease 
and  luxury,  by  monetary  gifts  derived  from  two 
wealthy  men,  one  a  United  States  Senator  and  the 
other  a  prominent  Wall  Street  financier,  both 
being  high  pillars  of  the  Church,  and  one  of  them 
being  old  enough  to  be  her  grandfather.  That 
was  the  most  painful  testimony  of  the  whole  pro- 
ceedings. It  did  not  seem  possible  to  me  that  the 
dear,  sweet,  innocent  girl,  whom  I  had  loved  so 
much  for  her  gentleness  and  kindness  of  nature, 
could  possibly  lead  such  a  dual  existence,  and  I 
could  not  understand  why  she  should  have  deceived 
me,  with  accounts  of  herself  so  at  variance  with  the 
facts.  When  I  thought  of  her  as  she  had  always 
appeared  to  me,  excepting  those  times  when  I  saw 
her  under  the  influence  of  liquor,  she  seemed  like 
a  good  angel,  who  was  far  beyond  even  the  suspi- 
cion of  reproach ;  and  so  when  I  learned  the  worst, 
I  pictured  her  at  her  best,  and  my  love  remained 
unshaken.  While  I  realized  that  it  was  the  poor 
girl's  weakness  that  led  her  into  temptation,  still  it 
was  plain  to  discern  that  the  cause  of  her  downfall 
was  money  and  the  miserable  creatures  who  util- 
ized it  to  buy  her  very  life's  blood  and  drag  her 
along  the  mire  of  shame.  The  poor  girl  is  dead, 
but  the  great,  good,  church-going  men,  through 
whose  efforts  she  was  disgraced,  are  still  alive,  and 


250  Born  Again 

are  considered  eminently  respectable  by  both  the 
Church  and  the  community.  The  curse  of  money 
could  not  have  been  more  forcibly  demonstrated 
than  by  this  incident.  The  unfortunate  young 
woman  craved  money,  and  sold  herself  for  it.  My 
deepest  sympathy  goes  after  her  to  the  grave.  The 
finger  of  scorn  is  now  raised  against  Arietta  by  the 
whole  world,  but  if  she  could  be  brought  back  to 
life  again,  I  should  gladly  take  her  by  the  hand 
and  say,  that  my  love  for  her  was  as  strong  as  ever, 
and  that  I  would  defend  her  against  the  insults  of 
the  depraved  society  which  reared  and  educated 
her  in  the  vices  which  it  now  deplores. 

It  took  the  jury  just  forty-five  minutes  to  reach 
a  decision  against  me.  Ten  minutes  of  this  time, 
as  I  learned  from  newspaper  accounts,  were  devoted 
to  prayer,  that  the  Almighty  should  point  out  the 
right  way  to  decide  the  case.  Evidently  the  god, 
to  whom  the  jury  prayed,  demonstrated  that  it  was 
their  duty  to  convict  me.  For  convict  me  they 
did,  by  bringing  in  a  verdict  of  murder  in  the  first 
degree.  My  sentence  was  that  I  pay  the  penalty 
of  the  crime  with  my  life  by  being  electrocuted. 

The  trial  was  severe  and  brutal  from  beginning 
to  end,  from  my  point  of  view.  I  was  bullied  by 
the  prosecutor,  scathingly  censured  by  the  judge, 
libelled  by  the  press,  cursed  by  the  public,  and 
deserted  by  my  own  attorney.  I  was  treated  like 


Born  Again  251 

a  cowardly  beast  of  the  most  depraved  type.  But 
with  all  the  abuse  that  was  heaped  upon  me,  I  en- 
dured it  without  a  murmur,  calmly  claiming  that 
I  was  not  responsible  for  the  deed,  but  perfectly 
willing  to  take  any  punishment  the  law  meted  out 
to  me.  There  was  one  thing,  however,  which  stood 
out  prominently  amidst  the  many  shoals  of  my 
misfortune,  which  made  me  feel  that  I  had  not 
lived  in  vain.  My  faithful  little  band  of  followers, 
whom  I  had  taught  the  principles  of  Natural  Law, 
remained  loyal  to  me  until  the  very  end.  Not  one 
member  of  the  society  was  there  who  would  be- 
lieve that  I  was  guilty  of  such  an  atrocious  crime. 
They  insisted  that  there  was  some  mistake,  and 
spent  much  time  and  money  in  trying  to  ferret  out 
the  mystery.  They  called  upon  me  as  often  as  the 
prison  regulations  would  permit,  and  amid  scenes 
that  were  touching,  protested  their  undying  fidel- 
ity to  me  and  the  cause  I  espoused.  Each  indi- 
vidual promised  most  solemnly  to  carry  on  the  work 
I  had  begun  as  long  as  his  life  lasted,  and  I  feel 
sure  that,  although  the  end  of  my  time  is  drawing 
near,  the  work  entrusted  to  me  by  the  great  Sage- 
woman  is  born  again,  and  will  grow  to  huge  pro- 
portions as  time  passes  on. 

And  so  I  have  come  to  the  end  of  my  story. 
Tomorrow  I  must  die.    In  writing  this  book,  I 


252  Born  Again 

have  tried  to  confine  myself  exclusively  to  the 
truth.  I  have  felt  all  along,  however,  my  inabil- 
ity to  do  the  subject  justice.  There  are  many 
things  that  the  great  Sagewoman  tried  to  impress 
upon  me  which  my  little  brain  was  not  strong  enough 
to  grasp.  There  are  also  many  things  which  are 
perfectly  clear  in  my  mind,  that  I  have  been  una- 
ble to  convey  to  others,  but  I  have  done  my  best, 
and  that  is  all  that  can  be  expected  of  any  one.  I 
should  like  to  have  given  more  attention  to  the 
arrangement  of  this  work,  but  unfortunately  the 
time  allowed  me  has  been  very  short,  and  I  have 
had  to  rush  it  along  in  order  to  complete  it.  I 
have  produced  this  treatise  while  confined  within 
my  cell  in  the  death-house,  and  therefore  have  had 
many  disadvantages  to  contend  with.  I  shall  give 
the  manuscript  to  the  little  body  of  men  and  women 
who  are  banded  together  and  known  as  the  Natural 
Law  Society,  of  which  I  had  the  honor  to  be  the 
founder,  with  the  understanding  that  it  will  be 
published  and  distributed  at  the  earliest  possible 
date.  I  could  wish  that  the  reader  might  peruse  the 
contents  of  this  work  a  second  time,  if  it  is  not  ask- 
ing too  much ;  at  least  that  he  might  go  over  care- 
fully and  thoughtfully  that  portion  of  it  which 
contains  the  teachings  of  the  great  Sagewoman. 
While  I  probably  have  failed  to  present  clearly 
much  of  the  great  wisdom  directly  received  from 


Born  Again  253 

her  magnificent  brain,  there  may  arise  in  the  future, 
wise  men,  who  will  be  capable  of  reading  in  these 
lines  much  more  than  even  I,  who  write  them,  am 
able  to  comprehend.  It  is  my  one  hope  that  great 
men  will  spring  up  in  the  future  and  take  hold  of 
this  work — men  with  minds  so  strong,  so  broad,  so 
courageous,  and  so  unselfish,  that  they  will  be  will- 
ing to  devote  their  best  energies  to  the  noble  task 
of  trying  to  put  the  whole  human  race  on  a  footing 
of  equality.  There  can  be  no  equality  so  long  as 
those  who  are  strong  want  to  take  more  of  nature's 
gifts  than  those  who  are  weak,  and  no  man  can 
ever  be  great  who  thinks  that  one  human  being  is 
entitled  to  more  than  another.  That  is  selfishness. 
Selfishness  and  greatness  are  the  extreme  opposites. 


This  is  my  last  day  on  earth,  to  use  a  common 
but  erroneous  expression.  At  noon  today  my  soul 
will  be  separated  from  its  body  by  the  hand  oi 
man,  acting  according  to  a  most  unnatural,  dia- 
bolical, and  murderous  law.  And  the  poor  unfor- 
tunate creature,  who  actually  slays  me,  will  do  so, 
not  because  he  has  a  thirst  for  blood,  but  for  money. 
Money  furnished  by  the  State — a  Christian  civili- 
zation which  bred  and  reared  us  both. 

I  am  now  forty-four  years  old,  and  have  just 
reached  the  threshold  of  mental  strength.  AT  lam 


254  Born  Again 

in  perfect  condition  physically,  and  have  a  splen- 
did constitution  as  a  foundation,  there  is  no  good 
reason  why  I  could  not  have  lived  at  least  forty 
years  more.  Forty  years  longer  could  I  have 
served  the  world  at  my  very  best,  but  my 
fellow  beings  have  decided  to  kill  me,  right  at 
a  time  when  I  could  have  been  of  the  most 
use  to  them.  I  am  really  sorry  that  I  must 
die,  not  because  I  fear  death,  but  because  my 
opportunity  to  do  good  to  others  is  taken  from 
me.  Twenty-two  years  ago  I  was  anxious  to  die, 
aye  even  by  my  own  hand.  I  thought  that  there 
was  nothing  to  live  for  at  that  time.  But  the  beau- 
tiful teachings  of  the  great  Sagewoman  awakened 
new  ideas  of  responsibility  within  me,  and  now  I 
can  see  that  the  grandest  thing  within  the  reach 
of  a  human  being  is  to  live ;  live  as  long  as  nature 
will  allow;  live  for  others. 

Natural  Law  teaches  that  it  is  idiotic  to  pray, 
and  I  believe  that  prayer  is  a  form  of  insanity,  but 
were  I  to  pray,  which  I  confess  I  have  no  idea  of 
doing,  my  one  request  of  the  Creator  would  be 
that  I  might  live  out  my  life,  in  order  to  spread 
the  principles  of  Natural  Law  to  the  furthermost 
corners  of  the  earth  ;  or,  that  I  might  be  born 
again  in  a  well-constructed  body,  with  a  mind 
capable  of  grasping  nature's  ideas  in  their  entirety, 
and  interpreting  them  to  my  fellow  men  in  a  way 


Born  Again  255 

that  could  not  be  misunderstood.  If  the  Creator 
would  grant  uie  this  request,  and  I  could  have 
the  ability  and  the  power  to  change  the  conditions 
of  the  earth  to  those  existing  in  Sageland  before 
the  Catastrophe,  I  would  gladly  give  in  exchange 
for  the  privilege,  my  eternal  soul  as  a  sacrifice,  and 
take  upon  myself  everlastingly,  all  of  the  misery, 
suffering,  and  torture  now  inflicted  upon  the  rest 
of  mankind. 

Good-bye,  dear  reader,  and  may  your  soul  always 
guide  you. 


END    OF    JOHN    CONVEKT  S    WORK. 


EPILOGUE 


EPILOGUE 


FROM  THE  NEW  YORK  DAILY 

[Special  Despatch:'} 

"  SING  SING,  N.  Y.,  11  A.  M. — Electrocution  day 
here  always  attracts  many  curious  people  about 
the  prison  walls,  but  the  much  heralded  execution 
of  John  Convert  seems  to  have  brought  an  unusual 
number  of  persons  to  this  neighborhood,  and  the 
hill  overlooking  the  prison  is  almost  black  with 
people,  who  have  come  from  all  parts  of  the  State. 

"  Viewed  from  this  hill,  Sing  Sing  prison  pre- 
sents the  appearance  of  a  huge,  square  pen,  cover- 
ing many  acres  of  land,  and  enclosed  by  a  high, 
brick  wall  on  the  three  land  sides,  and  a  tall,  iron 
picket  fence  on  the  side  adjoining  the  Hudson 
River. 

"  On  the  top  of  these  walls,  sentinels  are  sta- 
tioned at  intervals,  who  walk  back  and  forth, 
armed  with  breech-loading  rifles,  and  under  orders 
to  shoot  dead  any  prisoner  attempting  to  escape. 

"  Within  the  enclosure,  at  the  north  end,  are 
several  red  brick  buildings,  which  are  used  as 
work-shops  for  the  twelve  hundred  time  prisoners, 

259 


260  Born  Again 

now  incarcerated  here.  Running  along  its  eastern 
border  is  a  massive  stone  structure,  about  seven 
hundred  feet  long,  fifty  feet  wide,  and  sixty  feet 
high,  with  windows  crated  by  heavy,  iron  bars. 
This  is  the  main  building  of  the  prison,  and  is  used 
principally  as  a  dormitory  for  the  inmates  and 
offices  for  those  who  have  charge  of  the  institution. 

"  The  extreme  south  end  of  the  main  building 
is  walled  off  separately,  and  occupied  exclusively 
by  prisoners  whom  the  State  has  doomed  to  death. 
This  place  is  called  the  Death  Chamber.  Inside 
of  this  chamber  is  a  high  steel  cage,  four  tiers 
high,  and  divided  into  several  cells,  which  are 
about  eight  by  six  feet  in  dimension.  Thick, 
cement  walls,  floor,  and  ceiling,  make  each  cell 
separate  and  distinct  from  the  others.  Heavy 
doors  of  barred  steel  open  outward  onto  the  differ- 
ent platforms,  which  run  all  the  way  around  the 
inside  of  the  cage.  Armed  patrolmen,  known  as 
death  guards,  are  kept  constantly  walking  around 
these  platforms.  Within  this  cage  is  John  Con- 
vert and  many  other  notorious  murderers,  waiting 
their  turns  to  be  put  to  death,  as  punishment  for 
their  heinous  crimes. 

"At  the  south  end  of  the  Death  Chamber  is  a 
solid  iron  door,  which  leads  into  an  adjoining  little 
red  brick  building,  about  fifty  by  twenty  feet  in 
dimension,  one  story  high,  and  containing  two 


Born  Again  261 

rooms.  These  rooms  are  perfectly  bare,  excepting 
that  in  one  of  them  there  is  a  chair,  and  in  the 
other  a  table.  About  ten  feet  from  the  door  lead- 
ing from  the  Death  Chamber  is  the  electric  chair, 
by  which  the  State  kills  its  worst  criminals.  In 
appearance  it  is  similar  to  a  plain,  old-fashioned 
garden  arm-chair,  with  a  high  back.  Connected 
to  this  chair  are  several  straps,  by  which  the  con- 
demned man  is  harnessed  in  a  sitting  position,  so 
that  he  cannot  move.  These  straps  are  adjusted 
across  the  head,  chest,  abdomen,  both  fore  and 
upper  arms  and  the  ankles.  They  are  not  bound 
too  tightly,  but  left  taut  in  order  to  allow  for 
the  expansion  of  the  body.  The  electro  connec- 
tions are  at  the  head  and  the  inside  of  the  right 
calf,  the  trousers  being  cut  from  the  knee  down- 
ward, so  that  a  contact  can  be  made  with  the  bare 
flesh.  Just  back  of  the  chair  is  a  large  closet, 
which  conceals  all  of  the  electrical  apparatus  neces- 
sary to  throw  on  or  off  the  current  at  the  will  of 
the  Electrician,  by  whose  hand  the  condemned  man 
is  sent  to  eternity.  Stationed  within  the  closet,  the 
Electrocutioner  can  see  what  is  going  on  outside, 
but  cannot  be  seen  from  without.  Just  back  of 
the  closet  is  a  partition  dividing  the  two  rooms, 
through  which  is  a  door  leading  into  it.  In  the 
center  of  this  other  room  is  a  stationary  table,  upon 
which  the  autopsy  is  performed. 


262  Born  Again 

"All  of  the  machinery  has  been  thoroughly 
tested,  and  found  to  be  in  good  running  order, 
and  neither  the  State's  Electrician  nor  the  Warden 
expect  the  slightest  hitch  in  connection  with  to- 
day's proceedings.  The  twelve  witnesses  invited 
by  the  Warden,  and  made  necessary  by  law,  to- 
gether with  the  brain  experts,  have  arrived  upon 
the  scene,  and  everything  is  in  complete  readiness 
for  the  electrocution  of  John  Convert.' 


FROM  THE  NEW  YORK  DAILY 

[Special  Despatch:} 

"SiNG  SING,  N.  Y.,  1.15  P.  M.— One  of  the 
strangest  and  most  pathetic  tragedies  that  has  ever 
happened  in  the  State  of  New  York  has  just  taken 
place  within  the  house  of  electrocution  here,  the 
result  of  which  must  cause  the  whole  civilized 
world  to  pause  and  shudder.  Your  correspondent 
earnestly  prays  that  he  may  never  again  be  called 
upon  to  witness  another  such  horror,  the  effects  of 
which  have  completely  unnerved  him  and  beggars 
even  a  faint  description. 

"  At  precisely  twelve  o'clock  today,  with  the 
State  Electrician,  medical  experts,  and  witnesses, 
mutely  stationed  in  their  places,  the  great  iron 
door  leading  from  the  Death  Chamber  was  sud- 
denly swung  open,  and  between  two  guards  the 


Born  Again  263 

gigantic  form  of  John  Convert  walked  over  to  the 
electric  chair,  with  a  firm  and  unfaltering  step. 
Immediately,  all  eyes  were  turned  upon  him,  and 
at  the  same  instant  there  was  a  subdued  murmur 
of  surprise  by  many  of  those  present  at  the  mag- 
nificent appearance  of  the  man. 

"Tall  and  erect,  with  finely  formed  limbs,  and 
powerfully  built  shoulders,  he  easily  towered  above 
all  of  the  other  occupants  of  the  room.  With  a 
clean  shaven  face,  the  handsome  features  of  which 
expressed  extraordinary  intelligence,  kindness,  and 
gentleness  of  nature,  combined  with  wonderful 
strength  of  character,  and  a  shapely  head,  over- 
hung by  an  abundance  of  beautiful  snow-white 
hair,  he  looked  more  like  an  ambassador  from 
heaven  than  a  convicted  murderer.  He  wore  a 
black  Prince  Albert  suit  of  clothes.  As  he  reached 
the  side  of  the  chair  he  paused,  and  calmly  look- 
ing from  one  to  the  other  of  the  assemblage,  he 
began  to  address  them  in  a  clear  and  melodious 
voice.  Almost  from  the  first  utterance,  his  hearers 
became  electrified  by  his  charming  manner  and 
eloquence,  and  for  nearly  half  an  hour  were  held 
spellbound,  while  he  explained  the  principles  of 
Natural  Law,  and  the  vast  benefits  the  human  race 
could  derive  by  putting  them  into  effect. 

"  In  a  convincing  way  he  drew  a  beautiful  pic- 
ture upon  the  minds  of  those  present  of  a  heaven 


264  Born  Again 

that  should  be  established  here  on  earth  by  and 
for  all  living  things,  in  which  they  should  work 
unitedly  and  harmoniously  together  for  a  com- 
mon and  unselfish  cause,  instead  of  each  one 
pulling  in  a  different  direction  for  his  own  selfish 
purposes.  He  explained  that  all  living  things 
were  composed  of  the  same  material,  which  was 
constantly  undergoing  a  change  from  life  to  death 
and  from  death  to  life  by  being  moulded  and  re- 
moulded into  different  forms,  which  are  constructed 
according  to  the  intelligence  absorbed  by  the  whole. 
That  it  is  within  the  power  of  the  human  race,  if 
working  together  as  a  unit,  to  reconstruct  all  liv- 
ing matter  on  earth  into  more  perfect  organisms, 
just  as  it  is  within  the  power  of  man  to  re-mould  a 
pile  of  dead  scrap  iron  into  new  and  useful  ma- 
chinery. That  these  results  could  only  be  accom- 
plished by  the  eradication  of  selfishness  from  the 
human  race,  and  that  it  was  impossible  to  extin- 
guish selfishness  as  long  as  the  money  system  was 
kept  in  force,  and  individuals  were  recompensed 
according  to  their  craftiness  to  help  themselves. 
He  told  of  the  soul  being  everlasting,  and  how  a 
wise  law  of  nature  breaks  the  monotony  of  its 
existence  through  the  process  of  re-incarnation, 
and  that  the  soul  of  the  rich  aristocrat  of  today 
may  be  the  soul  of  the  suckling  pig  tomorrow.  He 
said  that  it  was  within  the  power  of  every  living 


Born  Again  265 

thing  to  do  good,  if  only  following  the  advice  of 
the  soul,  and  that  the  oftener  this  advice  was  taken 
the  easier  it  became  to  do  right,  but  that  the  less 
the  soul's  warning  was  heeded,  the  more  hardened 
and  vile  became  the  nature  of  the  individual.  He 
told  of  how  children  inherit  the  weaknesses  of  their 
parents,  and  mentioned  how  much  grander  it  is 
for  parents  to  give  their  children  character  without 
gold,  than  to  give  them  gold  without  character. 

"  So  earnestly  and  pathetically  did  he  present 
the  whole  subject,  that  at  the  conclusion  of  his  dis- 
course there  was  not  a  dry  eye  in  the  room,  and  as 
he  calmly  took  his  seat  in  the  electric  chair,  the 
whole  assemblage,  including  the  guards,  stood 
motionless  for  several  moments  as  if  in  a  hypnotic 
trance.  And  then,  as  the  guards  reluctantly  be- 
gan to  adjust  the  straps  about  his  body,  three  men 
burst  into  loud  sobs  and  rushed  from  the  room, 
bitterly  denouncing  the  electrocution  as  savagery, 
and  refusing  to  witness  the  proceedings  any  further. 
With  the  exception  of  the  condemned  man,  every- 
body was  completely  unstrung.  But  John  Con- 
vert, in  the  shadow  of  death,  did  not  lose  his 
wonderful  self-control  for  a  moment,  but  sat  with 
perfect  equipoise  in  that  murderous  chair,  calmly 
watching  with  apparent  interest  the  work  of  fast- 
ening him  in.  '  You  have  that  strap  around  the 
abdomen  twisted,'  he  coolly  remarked  to  one  of  the 


266  Born  Again 

excited  guards,  and  then  quietly  added,  '  you  are 
not  sufficiently  hardened  for  this  kind  of  work,  my 
man,  but  perhaps  your  children  may  be.'  And  as 
if  stung  by  remorse  at  these  words,  the  guard  sud- 
denly burst  into  a  frenzy  of  grief  and  cried  out  in 
piteous  tones :  '  No,  no  !  Don't  say  that.  I  love 
my  children.  I  undertook  this  objectionable  work 
for  their  sakes,  that  I  might  be  able  to  give  them 
the  same  advantages  that  other  children  enjoy. 
But  now  that  you  have  spoken,  I  can  see  that  I 
am  paying  for  their  advantages  at  the  expense  of 
their  moral  characters,  and  that  they  too  might 
follow  in  my  miserable  footsteps  and,  eventually 
sell  themselves  for  money.  But  listen,  I  have  but 
just  taken  this  position,  and  now  I  am  getting  my 
first  experience  at  this  kind  of  work,  and  I  feel  as 
if  I  were  about  to  commit  murder.  And  now,  after 
hearing  your  wonderful  words,  my  conscience  is 
crying  out  within  me  to  stop,  and  so,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  these  witnesses,  I  not  only  renounce  all  fur- 
ther connection  with  this  abominable  act,  but  I 
most  solemnly  swear  that  I  believe  in  Natural 
Law,  and  that  I  shall  henceforth  devote  my  life 
to  teaching  its  principles  to  my  own  children,  and 
also  to  those  of  my  fellow  beings.  My  eyes  have 
suddenly  been  opened.  For  the  first  time  in  my 
life  I  feel  like  a  man.' 

"  At  this  unexpected  turn  of  affairs,  the  counte- 


Born  Again  267 

nance  of  John  Convert  lighted  up  with  a  look  of 
divine  happiness  that  was  truly  glorious  to  behold, 
and,  addressing  the  guard,  he  said  :  '  Well  spoken, 
my  noble  man.  May  you  accumulate  sufficient 
strength  to  enable  you  to  faithfully  follow  out  your 
splendid  resolution ;  may  your  future  deeds  be  so 
unselfish,  heroic,  and  fruitful,  towards  uplifting 
mankind,  that  the  grandchildren  of  your  enemies 
may  live  to  praise  your  name.' 

"These  words  seemed  to  have  a  cheering  effect 
upon  the  guard,  who  affectionately  shook  the  hand 
of  Convert,  and  then  left  the  room. 

"  During  this  time,  however,  the  other  guard 
had  continued  the  work  of  adjusting  the  straps, 
and  finally  having  them  properly  arranged, 
stepped  backward  a  few  feet  and  raised  his  left 
arm  as  a  sign  to  the  Electrocutioner  in  the  closet 
that  everything  was  in  readiness.  And  then,  just 
as  John  Convert  uttered  the  words,  'Always  Con- 
sult Your  Soul  for  Advice,'  a  terrible,  dull,  buzzing 
sound  took  the  place  of  his  voice,  his  body  sud- 
denly expanded,  as  if  about  to  burst,  his  limbs 
were  drawn  up  and  distorted,  blue  flames  shot 
forth  with  a  weird  glow,  a  sickening  odor  of  burn- 
ing flesh  saturated  the  air,  and  quicker  than  it 
takes  to  tell,  the  deadly  current  had  penetrated 
through  every  fibre  of  his  body. 

"  And    then,  as   all    turned   away  their    heads 


268  Born  Again 

from  the  awful  sight,  a  loud  crash  was  heard, 
and  the  door  leading  from  the  court-yard  into 
the  other  room  burst  open,  and  in  rushed  the 
Warden,  yelling  like  a  madman :  '  Stop  it !  For 
God's  sake,  stop  it!  You  are  killing  the  wrong 
man !'  And  pulling  open  the  door  of  the  closet 
which  concealed  the  Electrician,  he  threw  off  the 
current  with  his  own  hands.  At  the  same  time, 
amidst  great  confusion,  several  of  the  spectators 
rushed  forward  and  began  unfastening  the  straps 
which  bound  the  unfortunate  man  to  the  chair, 
after  which  the  body  was  carried  into  the  other 
room  and  laid  upon  the  table. 

"  Following  in  the  footsteps  of  the  Warden,  was 
a  tall,  beautiful,  young  woman,  hatless,  and  with 
hair  disheveled  and  dress  disarranged.  She  was 
panting  heavily,  and  a  wild,  terrified  look  gleamed 
in  her  eyes.  She  appeared  dazed  and  almost  ex- 
hausted. Catching  sight  of  Convert,  she  frantic- 
ally tried  to  get  near  him,  but  was  held  in  check 
by  one  of  the  doctors,  while  the  other  one  made  a 
hurried  examination  of  the  body.  And  then,  this 
doctor,  apparently  suffering  from  great  mental  ex- 
citement, turned  toward  those  present,  and,  with 
his  eyes  full  of  tears,  chokingly  whispered,  'Too 
late,  he  is  dead.' 

"At  these  terrible  words,  the  young  woman 
uttered  a  heart-piercing  shriek,  and,  rushing  for- 


Born  Again  269 

ward?  threw  herself  upon  the  corpse,  as  she  pite- 

ously  moaned  :     '  You  have  murdered  him.  You 
have  murdered  him.' " 


FROM  THE  NEW  YORK  DAILY. 

"  The  following  statement,  made  by  one  of 
Chicago's  most  beautiful  and  brilliant  young  so- 
ciety women,  is  the  sequel  to  the  most  extraordinary 
case  that  ever  attracted  public  attention  in  this 
country  : 

"  '  My  name  is  Arietta  Wright.  My  father  is 
R.  U.  Wright,  of  Chicago,  111.,  the  well-known 
railroad  magnate  and  multi-millionaire.  A  few 
years  ago,  while  in  Paris,  I  was  introduced  to  a 
man  by  the  name  of  John  Convert.  I  supposed 
he  was  an  American,  but  at  that  time  did  not  take 
enough  interest  in  him  to  inquire  as  to  who  he  was 
or  where  he  came  from.  Later,  however,  I  found 
that  he  was  continually  crossing  my  path,  and 
appeared  anxious  to  court  my  attention.  He  was 
a  tall,  well-built,  handsome  man,  with  a  clean- 
shaven face  and  snow-white  hair,  apparently  about 
forty  years  old.  But  there  was  something  about 
his  looks  and  actions  that  I  did  not  like,  and  I  tried 
to  avoid  him  as  much  as  possible.  But  he  was  not 
to  be  avoided  very  easily,  and,  after  persistently 
following  me  all  over  Europe,  he  crossed  the  ocean 


270  Born  Again 

in  the  same  steamer,  and  finally  came  to  my  home 
in  Chicago.  He  got  to  be  such  a  nuisance  that  he 
was  refused  admittance  to  our  house,  and  in  order 
to  get  rid  of  him  entirely,  I  secretly  left  Chicago 
and  went  abroad  again.  A  few  months  afterward 
I  returned  home,  and  found  that  he  had  left  for 
parts  unknown,  and  the  incident  was  soon  for- 
gotten. 

"  '  During  the  month  of  March,  1903,  about  two 
and  a  half  years  later,  important  business  called  my 
father  to  New  York  for  a  stay  of  several  months, 
and  mother  and  I,  accompanying  him,  we  took 
apartments  at  the  Opulent  Hotel,  on  Broadway, 
near  Seventy-eighth  street. 

" '  About  that  time  I  decided  to  visit  the  different 
institutions  of  New  York,  and  one  day  as  I  was  be- 
ing shown  through  a  charity  ward  of  the  Buff  Hos- 
pital, I  was  astonished  to  see  John  Convert  lying 
sick  upon  one  of  the  cots.  He  had  a  wild  and 
peculiar  stare  in  his  eyes  and  at  first  gave  no  sign 
of  recognition,  but  seemed  to  be  undergoing  an  in- 
tense mental  strain,  as  if  trying  to  recall  to  mind 
some  event  that  had  escaped  his  memory.  The 
doctor  informed  me  that  he  was  an  unidentified 
charity  patient  suffering  with  typhoid  fever  and 
was  evidently  insane.  He  told  me  that  the  man 
imagined  he  had  been  in  a  trance  for  over  four 
thousand  years,  and  could  only  be  brought  out  of  it 


Born  Again  271 

by  a  kiss  from  one  be  called  Arietta.  My  heart 
seemed  to  melt  with  pity  and  sorrow,  and  my  dis- 
like changed  into  love  for  the  man  upon  hearing 
these  words,  and  without  hesitation  I  kissed  him, 
at  the  same  time  hoping  most  sincerely  that  the 
act  would  have  a  salutary  effect.  Strange  as  it 
may  seem,  the  whole  expression  of  his  countenance 
changed  instantly  as  if  by  some  magic  force ;  his 
eyes  lighted  up  radiantly,  and  looking  at  me  in 
great  astonishment  he  uttered  nly  name — Arietta. 
But  while  I  was  quite  elated  over  my  strange  suc- 
cess, I  was  also  much  surprised  and  puzzled  at  his 
following  utterances,  whereby  he  claimed  that  I 
was  the  re-incarnated  soul  of  Arietta  of  Sageland, 
who,  according  to  his  story  had  died  on  the  same 
day  I  was  born,  over  twenty-one  years  before,  and 
from  which  time  he  could  form  no  recollection  of 
events  whatever. 

"  '  Subsequently,  I  was  informed  by  an  eminent 
brain  specialist,  who  examined  him,  that  he  was 
mentally  sound,  but  that  owing  to  a  severe  fracture 
of  the  skull  received  some  time  previously  his 
brain  had  become  divided  into  two  distinct  parts, 
causing  two  personalities  to  exist  and  enabling  him 
to  recollect  events  only  as  they  were  separately 
recorded  on  either  side  of  the  brain.  By  this  ex- 
planation I  readily  understood  the  reason  why  he 
did  not  recognize  me  and  also  for  the  wonderful 


272  Born  Again 

change  which  took  place,  both  in  his  character  and 
my  feelings  toward  him.  On  that  day  my  first 
and  last  love  for  man  was  born. 

"  'As  time  passed  by,  and  he  recovered  his  health 
and  strength,  he  appeared  to  me  the  most  beau- 
tiful character  I  had  ever  known,  and  with  each 
succeeding  day  my  love  for  him  grew  stronger. 
But  while  love  formed  a  strong  mutual  link  of 
attachment  between  us,  another  force  succeeded  in 
putting  us  apart. 

"'He  believed  in  Natural  Law  and  unselfish- 
ness, with  equal  rights  for  both  strong  and  weak 
alike.  I  believed  in  religion  and  selfishness, 
with  the  strong  enjoying  more  earthly  blessings 
than  the  weak. 

"  '  He  believed  in  a  Supreme  Being,  who  created 
immutable  laws  whereby  the  entire  machinery  of 
the  universe  is  governed,  and  that  these  laws 
could  no  more  be  changed  by  the  silly  prayers  of 
man  than  by  the  prayers  of  the  microbe.  I  be- 
lieved in  a  god  to  whom  I  could  pray  to  change 
earthly  conditions  to  suit  my  fancies ;  a  god  willing 
to  grant  me  favors  even  at  the  expense  of  others. 

"  *  He  believed  in  re-incarnation,  and  the  power 
of  the  soul  to  eventually  master  the  flesh  and  create 
a  heaven  on  earth.  I  believed  in  the  transmigra- 
tion of  the  soul  to  some  obscure  heaven  where 
there  would  be  nothing  farther  to  do  but  rest  and 
pray  during  all  eternity. 


Born  Again  273 

"  '  He  was  broad  in  his  views  and  never  tried  to 
restrain  me  from  thinking  as  I  liked.  I  was  nar- 
row in  mine,  and  quite  unwilling  that  he  should 
believe  in  any  theory  except  my  own. 

"  '  These  and  other  differences  of  opinion  caused 
us  to  separate. 

"  *  One  night  last  June,  the  same  night  that 
awful  murder  took  place  in  the  Seraglio  Apart- 
ments, I  met  John  Convert  at  our  regular  meeting 
place  in  Central  Park  for  the  last  time.  It  was 
my  habit  to  meet  him  in  an  out-of-the-way  corner 
of  the  park,  because  I  did  not  want  my  parents  or 
friends  to  know  of  it.  For  this  same  reason,  I  had 
never  told  him  my  last  name  or  place  of  residence. 
At  this  meeting,  I  informed  him  that  he  must 
either  give  up  all  further  connection  with  the 
movement  he  had  instituted  toward  the  regenera- 
tion of  mankind,  or  bid  me  good-bye  forever.  He 
chose  the  latter  course,  although  I  know  that  his 
heart  was  fairly  bursting  with  grief  when  I  left 
him. 

"  '  Now,  that  it  is  too  late,  I  can  fully  appreciate 
what  a  grand,  noble  fellow  he  was.  I  offered  him 
a  million  dollars  to  forsake  the  cause  he  had 
pledged  himself  to  uphold.  Think  of  it,  one  mil- 
lion dollars!  A  sum  of  money  for  which  most 
religious  men  would  gladly  sell  their  eternal  souls. 
But  John  Convert,  a  believer  in  Natural  Law, 


274  Born  Again 

could  not  be  bought  at  any  price,  and  even  though 
I  offered  him  my  hand  in  marriage,  an  offering 
which  many  Crown  Princes  of  Europe  have  re- 
peatedly begged  for,  still  he  would  not  recede  from 
the  grand  purpose  he  had  undertaken. 

" '  Well,  we  parted,  and  the  next  morning  I 
boarded  a  steamer  bound  for  Europe.  But  I  was 
wretched  and  unhappy,  and  felt  that  life  was  a 
burden  to  me.  I  was  unable  to  drive  the  image 
of  John  Convert  out  of  my  mind,  and  as  I  stood 
upon  the  deck  of  the  steamer,  as  it  passed  along 
the  river  leading  to  the  ocean,  I  looked  back  toward 
New  York,  and  fancied  I  could  see  poor  John 
standing  alone,  and  forlorn,  upon  one  of  the  docks, 
with  his  arms  outstretched,  sadly  imploring  me  to 
return,  and  with  a  feeling  of  remorse  I  started  for 
my  state-room  to  lie  down  and  have  a  good  cry. 

" '  As  I  hurried  along  the  dark  passageway, 
leading  to  my  room,  I  was  almost  startled  out  of  my 
senses  by  coming  face  to  face  with  the  very  man  I 
thought  I  had  left  behind,  John  Convert.  He  ap- 
peared to  be  even  more  startled  than  myself,  and, 
stepping  backward  a  few  paces,  he  fairly  trembled, 
as  he  hoarsely  exclaimed :  '  My  God,  Arietta,  is 
that  really  you  ?'  At  these  words  I  became  fright- 
ened, and  as  the  faint  rays  of  light  from  a  distant 
port-hole  fell  squarely  upon  his  face,  I  observed  a 
wild,  peculiar  stare  in  his  eyes,  and  noticed  that 


Born  Again  275 

his  whole  countenance  was  overcast  by  a  most  vil- 
lainous expression.  At  that  moment,  I  remem- 
bered the  doctor's  warning  words,  that  he  might 
change  personalities  at  any  time  that  he  was  sub- 
jected to  severe  mental  excitement,  and  I  now 
recognized  in  the  man  standing  before  me  the  same 
character  I  had  met  in  Paris.  Just  as  quickly  as 
love  had  taken  possession  of  my  feelings  for  John 
Convert  in  the  hospital,  just  that  suddenly  did  it 
depart  when  I  saw  this  detestable  looking  creature 
in  front  of  me.  In  an  instant  he  became  loath- 
some to  my  sight,  and  without  waiting  for  another 
word  I  rushed  into  my  state-room  and  bolted  the 
door. 

"  '  Not  once  did  I  leave  my  room  during  that  trip 
across  the  ocean,  but  when  the  steamer  arrived  at 
Liverpool,  and  I  started  to  go  ashore,  the  very  first 
person  my  eyes  rested  upon  was  John  Convert; 
and  from  that  time  on  he  incessantly  dogged  my 
footsteps  all  over  Europe.  The  more  I  saw  of  him, 
the  more  debased  and  despicable  he  appeared  to 
me.  The  good,  kind,  old  face,  that  I  had  loved  so 
well,  had  now  apparently  become  distorted  by  a 
murderous  expression,  and  the  soulful  eyes  which 
had  intoxicated  me  with  ecstasy,  now  depicted  the 
nature  of  a  degenerate.  I  shunned  him  as  I  would 
a  leper,  and  many  times  I  wished  that  I  had  left 
him  to  die  in  the  hospital,  instead  of  aiding  him  to 


276  Born  Again 

recover.  He  became  so  objectionable  to  my  sight, 
that  I  threatened  to  have  him  arrested  if  he  did 
not  stop  following  me  about.  But  this  had  no 
effect  upon  him  whatever,  and  after  three  long, 
weary  months  of  travel  on  the  continent,  in  which 
I  attempted  to  elude  him,  without  success,  I  finally 
returned  to  England  and  boarded  a  steamer  at 
Southampton  for  New  York.  I  fully  expected  to 
see  John  Convert  make  the  voyage  also,  but  to  my 
surprise  and  great  joy  I  saw  him  standing  on  the 
pier  after  the  steamer  had  left  her  moorings  and 
was  steaming  away.  He  stood  waving  his  hand  at 
me,  and  I  watched  him  until  beyond  the  range  of 
vision,  then  went  down  to  my  state-room,  with  a 
feeling  of  relief,  as  though  a  great  load  had  been 
lifted  from  my  shoulders.  One  of  the  first  things 
that  attracted  my  attention  after  entering  the  state- 
room, was  a  large,  well-filled  envelope,  lying  upon 
the  bed,  and  addressed  to  me.  Tearing  it  open,  I 
found  an  assortment  of  various  documents,  among 
which  was  the  following  letter.' ' 


"'My  dear  Arietta:  At  last  realizing  that  you 
are  beyond  ray  reach  and  that  further  efforts  to 
win  your  love  would  be  useless,  and  feeling  that 
after  all,  my  affinity  is  not  really  you  but  she 
whom  I  recently  killed,  and  as  my  conscience  is 


Born  Again  277 

torturing  me  until  I  can  find  no  rest  or  content- 
ment in  life,  I  have  decided  to  avenge  the  many 
crimes  I  have  committed  during  the  past  by  taking 
my  own  life,  and  ere  you  read  these  lines  I  shall 
be  dead. 

"  '  My  life  has  been  a  most  miserable  failure,  and 
were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  during  my  last  hours 
I  feel  a  strong  desire  to  try  and  make  amends, 
through  you,  to  the  man  I  have  been  impersonating 
for  many  years,  I  should  quietly  pass  out  of  ex- 
istence without  further  ado. 

" '  In  the  first  place  my  name  is  not  John,  but 
Edward  Convert,  son  of  Henry  Convert,  and 
grandson  of  Peter  Convert,  who  many  years  ago 
was  a  wealthy  banker  of  London,  England. 

" '  My  grandfather  had  two  sons ;  James,  the 
elder,  being  my  uncle,  and  Henry  the  younger, 
my  father. 

"  '  About  the  time  my  father  reached  maturity, 
both  he  and  my  uncle  fell  in  love  with  beautiful 
twin  sisters  of  a  poor  but  respectable  family,  and  in 
due  course  of  time  each  took  one  as  a  wife.  This 
was  done  in  direct  opposition  to  my  grandfather's 
commands,  and  so  incensed  did  he  become  over  the 
affair,  that  when  he  died  shortly  afterward,  it  was 
found  that  he  had  cut  them  both  off  with  a  mere 
pittance,  while  the  bulk  of  his  estate  which  was 
valued  at  several  million  pounds,  was  to  be  held  in 


278  Born  Again 

trust  until  the  eldest  son  of  my  uncle  James  had 
reached  maturity,  after  which  it  was  to  be  de- 
livered to  him  intact. 

"'At  that  time  neither  my  father  nor  uncle  had 
children,  and  being  of  different  temperaments — my 
uncle  a  pious  clergyman,  and  my  father  a  broker 
with  gambling  tendencies — they  soon  parted  and 
lost  track  of  each  other. 

"'My  parents  emigrated  to  Canada  and  resided 
in  Toronto  for  some  years,  in  which  city  I  was 
born.  When  I  was  about  five  years  of  age  my 
mother  died,  and  a  short  time  later  my  father 
moved  to  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and  entered  into  the 
brokerage  business  there.  As  I  grew  up,  I  was 
educated  with  the  sole  idea  that  the  only  purpose 
for  which  I  had  been  created  was  to  get  money. 
At  home  I  was  taught  by  my  father,  in  school 
through  books,  and  at  church  by  the  pastor,  that 
my  success  in  life  would  be  judged  according  to 
the  amount  of  money  I  could  accumulate.  Was  it 
any  wonder,  then,  that  I  grew  up  to  worship 
money  as  the  real  god,  and  to  finally  sell  my  soul 
for  it?  Oh,  the  terrible  curse  of  money!  And 
what  an  awful  crime  for  parents  to  teach  their 
children  to  love  it !  Had  I  not  been  taught  from 
infancy  to  crave  money,  I  might  have  become  a 
useful  member  of  the  human  family,  and  utilized 
my  brain  power  for  some  worthy  cause,  instead 


Born  Again  279 

of  using  it  to  scheme,  cheat,  steal,  and  even  mur- 
der, in  order  that  I  might  obtain  it. 

"'Well,  one  day  when  I  was  about  sixteen 
years  old,  my  father,  having  just  returned  from 
one  of  his  western  trips,  informed  me  that  he  had 
accidentally  run  across  his  brother  James,  the 
clergyman,  in  a  little  Kansas  town  named  Eden. 
He  said  that  my  uncle  told  him  that  his  wife  had 
died  sixteen  years  before,  while  giving  birth  to  an 
only  son,  as  they  were  crossing  the  Atlantic  Ocean. 
Subsequently  this  son,  who  had  been  named  John, 
ran  away  from  home  when  he  was  but  eleven  years 
old,  and  had  never  been  seen  or  heard  of  since. 
My  father  said  that  Uncle  James  had  evidently 
brooded  over  the  matter  so  long  that  he  was  broken 
down  in  health  and  could  not  live  much  longer. 
Then  he  showed  me  a  picture  of  John  Convert, 
when  he  was  ten  years  old,  and  said  that  it  looked 
exactly  like  me  at  that  age.  Finally,  he  told 
me  that  Cousin  John  was  the  sole  heir  to  his  grand- 
father's estate,  and  intimated  that  it  would  be  a 
splendid  stroke  of  business  for  me  to  go  to  Eden 
and  pretend  to  be  the  long-lost  son,  and,  after 
reaching  the  age  of  twenty-one,  claim  the  estate  as 
my  own.  My  father  told  me  that  as  soon  as  he 
heard  my  uncle's  story,  his  well-trained  business 
brain  had  immediately  formulated  this  excellent 
plan,  and  consequently  he  led  my  uncle  to  believe 


280  Born  Again 

that  lie  had  no  children  of  his  own.  He  also 
ascertained  the  names  of  the  different  places  where 
my  uncle  had  lived  during  the  past,  and  proposed 
that  I  should  visit  these  localities  and  become 
acquainted  with  John's  old  playmates,  in  order  to 
acquire  a  thorough  knowledge  of  his  youthful 
characteristics  and  any  other  useful  information 
necessary  to  carry  out  the  deception  successfully. 

"  '  Well,  I  entered  into  the  plot  with  enthusiasm, 
and  within  six  months  presented  myself  to  Uncle 
James  as  his  son. 

" '  At  first  the  scheme  worked  to  perfection,  and 
there  was  great  rejoicing  in  the  little  town  of 
Eden,  where  the  Rev.  James  Convert  was  an  hon- 
ored and  respected  citizen  of  the  community. 
But  as  time  went  by,  my  uncle  apparently  began 
to  doubt  my  identity,  for  at  times  he  would  look  at 
me  long  and  searchingly,  and  then,  with  a  sorrow- 
ful shake  of  the  head,  would  remark  that  I  lacked 
the  character  of  the  boy  he  had  known  as  his  son. 
So,  fearing  that  he  might  ultimately  discover  the 
fraud  and  foil  our  plans,  my  father  and  I  jointly 
murdered  him  by  a  slow  process  of  poison.  Then, 
with  the  necessary  papers  in  my  possession,  and 
plenty  of  reputable  witnesses  from  Eden  to  swear 
that  I  was  the  acknowledged  son  of  the  Rev.  James 
Convert,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  I  took  possession 
of  my  grandfather's  vast  estate  in  England. 


Born  Again  281 

"  '  But  the  fear  of  the  rightful  heir  turning  up 
sooner  or  later  to  expose  the  fraud  began  to  haunt 
me,  and,  feeling  my  insecurity  as  long  as  he  was 
alive,  I  began  a  long  and  tedious  search  for  John 
Convert,  which  extended  to  all  parts  of  the  world, 
and  covered  a  period  of  over  twenty-three  years, 
with  the  sole  purpose  of  killing  him  if  found. 

"  '  In  the  meantime,  fearing  that  my  father  might 
become  conscience-stricken  sooner  or  later,  and 
make  a  confession  of  our  crime  to  the  authorities, 
I  killed  him  also  ;  and  of  the  three  murders,  of 
which  I  am  now  responsible,  I  feel  less  concern 
over  my  father's  death  than  of  the  other  two ;  for 
was  it  not  from  him  that  I  inherited  the  instincts 
to  lie,  .cheat,  steal,  and  murder  for  money,  and 
by  his  instructions  that  these  instincts  were  devel- 
oped, instead  of  being  discouraged  from  infancy? 

" '  Well,  although  I  searched  in  nearly  every 
nook  and  corner  of  the  globe,  I  was  unable  to 
find  even  a  clue  to  my  missing  cousin,  but  during 
that  time  a  most  peculiar  aifair  happened,  which 
resulted  in  my  killing  a  third  victim. 

"  '  As  you  will  remember,  I  met  and  became  in- 
fatuated with  you  in  Paris  over  three  years  ago, 
and  then  followed  you  to  Chicago.  After  learning 
that  you  had  secretly  departed  for  Europe  again  in 
order  to  avoid  me,  I  made  up  my  mind  to  bother 
you  no  further,  and  taking  a  trip  in  the  opposite 


282  Born  Again 

direction  I  spent  considerable  tkne  touring  Aus- 
tralia, Africa  and  Asia.  It  was  about  two  years 
after,  while  stopping  at  a  fashionable  hotel  in  Ber- 
lin that  I  discovered  a  young  woman  boarding 
there  by  the  name  of  Arietta  Fogg.  So  closely 
did  she  resemble  you  that  I  supposed  it  was  you 
living  there  under  an  assumed  name.  At  first 
when  I  accused  her  of  being  Arietta  Wright,  of 
Chicago,  she  denied  it  emphatically.  But  later, 
after  learning  that  I  was  a  millionaire,  she  pre- 
tended that  I  was  right  in  my  supposition  and  led 
me  to  believe  that  she  had  left  home  for  an  indefi- 
nite period  owing  to  some  family  disagreement  and 
was  now  traveling  incognito.  She  permitted  me 
to  show  her  many  attentions  and  gradually  we  be- 
came very  good  friends.  So  infatuated  with  her 
charms  did  I  become  that  I  was  her  abject  slave. 
We  went  to  Italy  and  Egypt  together  and  I  lav- 
ished money  upon  her  without  stint.  I  proposed 
honorable  marriage  to  her  a  hundred  times,  but 
she  always  refused,  saying  that  she  preferred  a  free 
and  independent  life.  We  went  to  New  York,  and 
there  I  discovered  that  there  were  other  men  be- 
sides myself  interested  in  her,  and  that  she  had 
two  different  places  of  residence.  Several  times  I 
saw  her  in  fashionable  restaurants  dining  with 
other  men,  and  following  her  one  night  into  the 
Seraglio  Apartments,  I  found  that  she  occupied  a 


Born  Again  283 

suite  of  rooms  tnere  of  which  I  had  known  nothing. 
She  was  somewhat  under  the  influence  of  liquor 
that  night,  and  the  information  I  secured  from  her 
was  of  such  a  kind  that  it  almost  drove  me  mad 
with  jealousy,  and  in  a  fit  of  frenzy  I  stabbed  her 
to  death  with  her  own  toy  dagger  and  left  her  ly- 
ing on  the  bed.  The  next  morning  I  quietly 
boarded  the  steamer  for  Europe,  and  keeping  out 
of  sight  until  away  from  land,  I  started  to  go  to 
the  purser's  office  to  pay  for  my  passage,  when  the 
very  first  person  I  met  was  you.  You  can  well 
imagine  how  it  startled  me  to  see  one  whom  I 
thought  was  dead.  But  after  the  first  shock  had 
passed  away,  and  learning  from  the  list  that  Arietta 
Wright  was  a  passenger,  I  gave  the  whole  matter 
thoughtful  consideration  and  finally  concluded  that 
Arietta  Fogg  and  Arietta  Wright  were  two  differ- 
ent persons  and  that  the  other  was  merely  a  beau- 
tiful adventuress  and  your  double. 

"  '  Well,  you  know  the  rest.  You  never  did  nor 
never  would  care  for  me,  and  as  the  great  wealth 
I  so  wrongfully  acquired  cannot  buy  happiness  or 
peace  of  mind,  I  shall  ask  God  to  forgive  my  sins  and 
then  blow  out  the  brains  that  have  become  so  useless. 

"'  Somewhere  in  this  world  the  right  John  Con- 
vert may  be  earning  his  bread  by  the  sweat  of  his 
brow,  entirely  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  he  is  a 
millionaire  by  birth,  for  it  was  his  father's  inten- 


284  Born  Again 

tion  never  to  disclose  this  secret  to  him,  preferring 
that  he  should  spend  his  time  as  a  useful  laborer, 
rather  than  a  moneyed  loafer,  living  without  work. 
Whether  he  resembles  me  at  this  age  or  not,  I 
cannot  say.  Perhaps  not,  for  my  hair  has  become 
prematurely  white  from  sin  and  worry.  Then 
again,  he  may  wear  a  beard,  while  my  face  is  clean 
shaven.  But  no  matter  where  he  is,  what  he  does, 
or  how  he  looks,  I  shall  trust  in  you  to  do  all 
within  your  power  to  try  and  locate  him,  and 
deliver  into  his  hands  the  enclosed  papers,  which 
will  be  the  means  of  restoring  his  possessions  to  him. 
" '  If  you  are  fortunate  enough  to  find  him,  beg 
his  forgiveness  for  me,  and  say  that  the  cause  of 
all  my  wickedness  was  money,  and  a  father  who 
taught  me  to  love  it.  With  a  prayer  to  God  for 
mercy,  I  shall  expect  to  go  to  heaven  in  spite  of 
my  sins,  as  I  have  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  and, 
hoping  to  meet  you  there,  I  bid  you  good-bye 
until  then.  Sincerely  yours, 

" '  EDWARD  (JOHN)  CONVERT.'  ' 


"  '  Notwithstanding  the  dreadful  contents  of  this 
letter,  I  felt  like  crying  with  joy  after  reading  it, 
as  my  mind  once  more  became  occupied  with 
thoughts  of  the  splendid  character  whom  I  had  so 
ardently  loved,  but  shamefully  deserted  in  New 


Born  Again  285 

York  three  months  previously.  I  made  up  my 
mind  to  return  and  ask  his  forgiveness,  and  then 
join  him  in  his  praiseworthy  labors  of  uplifting 
mankind.  Oh !  what  happiness  I  experienced 
during  the  next  few  days  in  anticipation  of  see- 
ing him  again  and  hearing  his  manly  voice.  But 
alas,  how  little  we  know  what  sorrows  are  in  store 
for  us !  The  steamer  arrived  at  her  wharf  at  ten 
o'clock  this  morning,  and  a  few  minutes  later  I 
was  seated  in  a  carriage  speeding  along  in  the 
direction  of  the  Waldoria  Hotel.  At  forty  min- 
utes past  ten  I  inquired  of  the  clerk  for  John  Con- 
vert. Then  came  the  appalling  information  that 
he  was  to  be  electrocuted  at  noon  for  the  murder 
of  Arietta  Fogg.  The  rest  seems  like  an  awful 
nightmare.  Getting  a  schedule  of  trains  for  Sing 
Sing,  I  rushed  outside  the  hotel,  and,  jumping  in 
the  first  cab  I  saw,  handed  the  driver  a  roll  of 
bills,  and  told  him  they  were  all  his  if  he  could 
get  me  to  the  depot  in  time  to  catch  the  eleven 
o'clock  train.  Through  the  streets  like  mad  we 
whirled,  and,  reaching  the  station,  I  quickly 
alighted  and  ran  to  the  ticket  office,  and  from  there 
to  the  train,  which  I  boarded  just  as  it  started 
away.  It  was  an  express,  which  made  no  stops 
before  reaching  Sing  Sing,  and  was  due  there  at 
exactly  twelve  o'clock,  the  time  set  for  the  electro- 
cution. I  told  the  conductor  that  I  would  give 


286  Born  Again 

him  a  million  dollars  if  lie  would  land  me  in  Sing 
Sing  fifteen  minutes  ahead  of  time,  but  he  appar- 
ently thought  I  was  insane,  and  paid  no  attention 
to  my  frantic  entreaties  to  go  faster.  To  make 
matters  worse,  the  train  arrived  five  minutes  late, 
but,  hoping  against  hopes,  I  got  into  a  carriage 
and  was  driven  to  the  prison. 

Here  the  attendants  thought  I  was  crazy,  as  I 
rushed  into  the  reception  room,  crying  out  to  stop 
the  electrocution,  and  they  would  not  permit  me 
to  see  the  Warden,  who  was  in  his  private  office. 
Hearing  my  cries,  however,  the  Warden  came  out 
to  see  what  was  the  trouble,  and  as  quickly  as  pos- 
sible I  explained  to  him  the  circumstances  sur- 
rounding the  murder  of  Arietta  Fogg,  and  showed 
him  the  written  confession  of  Edward  Convert. 
He  read  just  enough  to  make  sure  he  was  right, 
and  then  with  an  exclamation  of  horror  he  rushed 
out  of  the  office,  followed  by  me.  Through 
grated  doors,  long,  dismal  corridors,  and  a  court- 
yard, we  ran,  and  coming  to  a  little,  red  brick 
house,  he  broke  open  the  frame  door  with  a  crash, 
and  hurried  inside,  only  to  find  that  we  were  just 
a  minute  too  late.' ' 

!jC  J-I  Sji  SfC  Sj>  if* 

"  After  a  fit  of  sobbing,  Arietta  Wright  quieted 
herself  long  enough  to  say  :  '  Telegraph  the  news 
to  all  parts  of  the  civilized  world  that  the  State  of 


Born  Again  287 

New  York  has  just  murdered  the  noblest  mortal 
of  which  history  has  ever  made  mention.  Tell  the 
inhabitants  that  through  his  teachings  a  new  dis- 
pensation has  sprung  into  existence,  and  that  Sage- 
manism  is  born  again.  Publicly  announce  my  firm 
belief  in  the  beautiful  principles  of  Natural  Law, 
and  say  that  henceforth  I  renounce  all  further 
allegiance  to  a  religion  which  permits  the  strong 
to  victimize  the  weak,  and  upholds  a  corrupt  and 
unnatural  system,  which  allows  schemers,  thieves, 
gamblers,  sneaks,  loafers,  spongers,  and  all  other 
kinds  of  human  parasites  to  grow  fat  off  the  labors 
of  those  who  toil.  Say  that  I  shall  take  up  the 
work  where  John  Convert  left  off,  and  devote  the 
remainder  of  my  life  and  all  of  my  wealth  towards 
the  cause  he  advocated.'  " 


[THE  END.] 


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3  1158  00908  2891 


A  000  127  555  1 


